Thesaurus results for PESTICIDE

pesticide

noun

Definition of pesticide

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 Just this July, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved three new PFAS pesticide for use on crops, as reported by The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit and non-partisan organization. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 Conserving breeding habitat alone cannot reverse their declines if grasslands continue to disappear or if birds are poisoned by pesticides. — Nathan W. Cooper, The Conversation, 23 July 2026 Building on that, the agency launched a new school lunch program to cut pesticides in school meals. — Avik Roy, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Her departure came a year after France’s highest court blocked a key part of a contentious farming law that would have brought back acetamiprid, a pesticide banned in France since 2018 for its role in harming bees and other pollinators. — ABC News, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pesticide

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesticide

Noun

One office pointed him to a pet poison hotline, and another was an hour away and had a four-hour wait.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Caregivers, schools, healthcare providers, poison control centers, public health agencies and technology companies all have a role in identifying emerging risks and communicating accurate information quickly.

— Andrew Yockey, The Conversation, 24 July 2026

Definition of poison

Noun

Researchers found that 40% of the 97 participants had higher concentrations of a toxicant associated with the defunct LCP Chemicals plant than the national average.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 June 2026
The ash from open burning can also contaminate soil and groundwater with persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and other toxicants, creating more chances for people to be exposed to them through food and water.

— Ellen M. Considine, The Conversation, 2 June 2026

Definition of toxicant

Noun

Last month, Alameda County stepped up mosquito abatement by spraying insecticide in Newark after five birds tested positive for West Nile virus there.

— Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
Check the package directions for how to use each insecticide correctly.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 July 2026

Definition of insecticide

Noun

DeepMind’s AlphaFold, for example, has used to AI to make available new structures for more than 200 million proteins, opening new pathways for research into disease and medicine.

— Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
The lab got its start with studies of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the 1900s, when ranchers and cattle were dying from the then-unknown disease.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Definition of disease

Noun

Each venom is a unique cocktail of peptides and proteins that can cause muscular paralysis, tissue destruction, cardiac arrest, or other effects.

— Steve Midway, STAT, 16 July 2026
Given the absence of venom, the researchers propose that these arachnids likely use strong raptorial pedipalps (claw-like appendages).

— Jay Kakade July 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026

Definition of venom

Noun

In late May, about 50,000 people in Orange County were evacuated because, at a Garden Grove site operated by GKN Aerospace, tanks holding a volatile hazardous chemical called methyl methacrylate were at risk of exploding or leaking toxics.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Munoz is an independent toxicologist working in collaboration with MAHA against pesticides and toxics.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 10 July 2026

Definition of toxic

Browse Nearby Words

pesters

pesticide

pesticides

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pesticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesticide. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pesticide

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on pesticide

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

comely

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes