pesticide

noun

pes·​ti·​cide ˈpe-stə-ˌsīd 

: an agent used to destroy pests

pesticidal

ˌpe-stə-ˈsī-dᵊl 

adjective

Examples of pesticide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At midnight Wednesday, four vector control trucks were scheduled to hit the streets in Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Garden Grove to spray a pesticide aimed at killing adult mosquitoes with West Nile virus. — Michele Gile, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Inspectors observed the use of unapproved household pesticide. — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Common hazards include prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, cleaning and laundry products, cosmetics, pesticides, automotive fluids, and batteries. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s Tanner, the middle of three boys who lives in his hometown and pilots a plane for the family business that sprays pesticides on crops. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pesticide

• anti-pesticide

Rhymes for pesticide

• actinide
• aldehyde
• alkoxide
• alongside
• amplified
• arsenide
• beautified
• biocide
• bisulphide
• butoxide
• calcified
• ceramide

Kids Definition

pesticide

noun

pes·​ti·​cide ˈpes-tə-ˌsīd 

: a substance used to destroy pests

pesticidal

ˌpes-tə-ˈsīd-ᵊl

adjective

Medical Definition

pesticide

noun

pes·​ti·​cide ˈpes-tə-ˌsīd 

: an agent used to destroy pests