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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pesticide
These pillows, all tested and reviewed in our editors’ own beds, prioritize materials and a manufacturing process fully free from harmful chemicals like flame-retardants, deodorizers, and fiber treatment agents like pesticides in the growing process.
—
Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2025
These growers are committed to sustainable farming practices, using water responsibly, rotating crops to maintain soil health, and reducing reliance on harsh pesticides.
—William Jones, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Any management program that depends on a pesticide comes with a fear that the target may develop resistance.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
The fate of bees is much on Teddy’s mind; colony collapse disorder, often caused by pesticides, is one of his talking points.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2025
These growers are committed to sustainable farming practices, using water responsibly, rotating crops to maintain soil health, and reducing reliance on harsh pesticides.
—William Jones, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Any management program that depends on a pesticide comes with a fear that the target may develop resistance.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
The fate of bees is much on Teddy’s mind; colony collapse disorder, often caused by pesticides, is one of his talking points.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesticide
Noun
-
Medical examiners would also conduct a chemical analysis during an autopsy to test for poisons and medical conditions.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The poison can cause disorientation, seizures and death.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
The Best Moth Repellant In the old days, people used mothballs as an insecticide.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Apply insecticide to soil to control or eliminate an armadillo's food source, though a dwindling food supply can encourage armadillos to root more for a new source.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For chemical control use a 3-way herbicide containing 2, 4-D as the main active ingredient to control broadleaf weeds like clover, henbit, and chickweed.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the widespread application of pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate, continues to generate debate among scientists and regulators.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Featuring women at the intersections of gender, age, disability, and disease, Pinjar is a nuanced illustration of this.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The country has also eradicated once-rampant tropical diseases like malaria.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What To Do After Pruning After pruning, treat any cuts with fungicide to prevent disease if desired.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Apply Azoxystrobin turf fungicide to stop it.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Their venom is typically used to paralyze their prey, but is not thought to have an effect on the human nervous system.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
What’s more, elapids are capable of producing particularly large quantities of venom and are often very large.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Israeli policy has made the very subject toxic, turning normalization into a domestic and strategic risk for Arab leaders and their governments.—
GALIP DALAY,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Environmental advocates say the new regulation of air toxics, which was required under a 2022 bill called Public Protections From Toxic Air Contaminants, will make the state’s air cleaner and its people healthier.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pesticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesticide. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share