toxicology

noun tox·i·col·o·gy \ ˌtäk-si-ˈkä-lə-jē \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of toxicology

: a science that deals with poisons and their effect and with the problems involved (such as clinical, industrial, or legal problems)

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toxicologist

play \ˌtäk-si-ˈkä-lə-jist\ noun

See toxicology defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of toxicology from the Web

Police had initially released Bishop to an FBI supervisor while awaiting toxicology results before deciding whether to charge him.

— don sweeney, sacbee, "Dancing FBI agent whose gun went off after backflip now faces assault charge," 12 June 2018
Cooper said toxicology test results on Beckett are pending.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Victim identified in fatal Antioch Township hit-and-run," 11 June 2018
The official cause and manner of his death is still undetermined, until the coroner receives toxicology test results.

— katy moeller, idahostatesman, "Coroner identifies man found dead in Eagle pasture," 1 June 2018
Deppisch forwards autopsy and toxicology results from Milwaukee County to local law enforcement agencies.

— jeff rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Photos: A look inside the Ozaukee County coroner's office," 2 May 2018
The autopsy report also contained the toxicology results.

— CBS News, "Coroner releases Stephon Clark autopsy, but it differs from private one commissioned by family," 1 May 2018
Cooper said in the release, noting that toxicology results are pending on both victims.

— karen berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Coroner identifies 1 of 2 people found dead in Highland Park house fire," 20 Apr. 2018
The final cause of death will be determined by the coroner, pending the autopsy and toxicology results and a thorough police investigation, officials said.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "Body of unidentified male found floating in Des Plaines River," 13 Apr. 2018
Preliminary toxicology results show that Jennifer Hart's blood-alcohol level was 0.102%, Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner Thomas Allman said at an afternoon news conference.

— hailey branson-potts, latimes.com, "Woman was under the influence when she drove car off cliff, killing family on Mendocino County coast," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'toxicology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Even though most of us are aware of toxicology primarily from crime shows on TV, toxicologists actually do most of their work in other fields. Many are employed by drug companies, others by chemical companies. Many work for the government, making sure the public is being kept safe from environmental poisons in the water, soil, and air, as well as unhealthy substances in our food and drugs. These issues often have to do with quantity; questions about how much of some substance should be considered dangerous, whether in the air or in a soft drink, may be left to toxicologists. But occasionally a toxicology task may be more exciting: for instance, discovering that what looked like an ordinary heart attack was actually brought on by a hypodermic injection of a paralyzing muscle relaxant.