neurotoxin
noun
Did you know?
The nervous system is almost all-powerful in the body: all five senses depend on it, as do breathing, digestion, and the heart. So it's an obvious target for poisons, and neurotoxins have developed as weapons in many animals, including snakes, bees, and spiders. Some wasps use a neurotoxin to paralyze their prey so that it can be stored alive to be eaten later. Snake venom is often neurotoxic (as in cobras and coral snakes, for example), though it may instead be hemotoxic (as in rattlesnakes and coppermouths), operating on the circulatory system. Artificial neurotoxins, called nerve agents, have been developed by scientists as means of chemical warfare; luckily, few have ever been used.
Examples of neurotoxin in a Sentence
Michael Phillis, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Those rules were projected to cut down on thousands of pounds of mercury and other metals, including carcinogens and neurotoxins, in addition to fine particulate matter, known colloquially as soot.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Mercury is a neurotoxin, and can have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
The neurotoxin leads to severe neurological damage, paralysis and ultimately starvation, peaking especially in the winter, the wildlife center said.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for neurotoxin
Cite this Entry
“Neurotoxin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurotoxin. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
neurotoxin
noun
