as in poison
a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops
The family farm has gradually moved away from the use of pesticides.
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Recent Examples of pesticide
Commercial pesticides can kill spiders, but there aren’t any good solutions for repelling them.
—
Dan Simms, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Crowder often uses the farm-to-table food and circular fashion movements as parallels to help explain her belief in confronting issues like supply chain transparency, pesticide use, and unsustainable shipping practices.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 7 May 2026
Instead of pausing mowing altogether, Ann Arbor now encourages residents to plant native species, shrink traditional turf lawns, limit pesticide use and reduce light pollution.
—CBS News, 7 May 2026
Relatively simple interventions, like planting wildflowers that give extra food for insects, providing bee nesting sites, and reducing pesticides, can help insects recover.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Dan Simms, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Crowder often uses the farm-to-table food and circular fashion movements as parallels to help explain her belief in confronting issues like supply chain transparency, pesticide use, and unsustainable shipping practices.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 7 May 2026
Instead of pausing mowing altogether, Ann Arbor now encourages residents to plant native species, shrink traditional turf lawns, limit pesticide use and reduce light pollution.
—CBS News, 7 May 2026
Relatively simple interventions, like planting wildflowers that give extra food for insects, providing bee nesting sites, and reducing pesticides, can help insects recover.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesticide
Noun
-
There is brief discussion of poison, and at one point, a fearsome butcher holds a knife.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Noun
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In the 1970s, Claudia Miller, an allergist and environmental scientist, was studying how toxicants affect people in industrial settings and began noticing strange symptoms emerging after certain kinds of chemical exposures.—
Kate Raphael,
Discover Magazine,
23 June 2025
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Then, using a simulation, the team found that the warmth and weight of the sleeping child could increase the off-gassing of the toxicants.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The best time for insecticide application is after dark when the bees are in the tunnels.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
5 May 2026
-
Malathion is often used for the insecticide and Captan for fungicide.—
Calvin Finch,
San Antonio Express-News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In addition to cutting down the fees associated with lawn-maintenance equipment, fertilizers, and herbicides, buying clover seed is often less expensive than grass.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
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Langelo recommends triclopyr, a woody plant herbicide, or glyphosate, which might take longer.—
Sarah Everett,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has also reported new hantavirus cases in Spain and France, drawing attention to the rare but potentially severe disease, which can cause serious respiratory complications in humans.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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People with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, or colitis may not tolerate high-fiber meals as well and sometimes require a lower-fiber approach.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Spray a fungicide once every seven to 14 days and stop treatment once temperatures reach 90 degrees.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
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Peach leaf curl causes stone fruit leaves to curl and pucker, even on trees sprayed with fungicide and horticultural oil last winter.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The venom causes a drop in blood pressure in the prey as well as prolonged bleeding, immobilizing it and allowing the dragon to bring it down and kill it.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
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Do not use a tourniquet, attempt to suck out venom, or cut the bite site.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Manufacturers should be diligently working to clean up their supply chains and manufacturing practices to ensure their products are free of PFAS and other toxics.—
Sarah Todd,
STAT,
1 May 2026
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Taking supporting women’s wrongs—and rights—to new levels, everyone’s favorite toxic on-screen Girl Boss duo are back for a fourth season of Industry: Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani.—
Chloe Laws,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pesticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesticide. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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