botulism

noun

bot·​u·​lism ˈbä-chə-ˌli-zəm 

: acute food poisoning that is caused by botulinum toxin produced in food by a bacterial clostridium (Clostridium botulinum) and is characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, disturbances of vision, swallowing, and speech, and a high mortality rate

Examples of botulism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company added that botulism is rare but serious, and shared symptoms to look for in infants, such as constipation, poor feeding, ptosis (drooping eyelid) and sluggish pupils. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

All ByHeart baby formula possibly tainted Tests of ByHeart infant formula tied to a botulism outbreak that has sickened dozens of babies showed that all of the company's products may have been contaminated. —Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2025

Health experts warn the number of illnesses in this outbreak could rise as officials reopen investigations into cases of infant botulism from earlier in the year. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025

Person to person transmission of botulism does not occur. —Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for botulism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

botulism

noun

bot·​u·​lism ˈbäch-ə-ˌliz-əm 

: poisoning caused by eating food containing a toxin made by a spore-forming bacterium

Medical Definition

botulism

noun

bot·​u·​lism ˈbäch-ə-ˌliz-əm 

: acute food poisoning caused by botulinum toxin produced in food by a bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. botulinum) and characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, disturbances of vision, swallowing, and speech, and a high mortality rate see botulinum toxin, limberneck