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
Climate change has made habitat-restoration efforts more challenging, as have pollution from pesticides and even toxic tire dust.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The incidents have mainly taken place in states where aerial pesticides have become more commonplace.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
For severe scale infestations on outdoor lemon trees, synthetic pesticides might be a last resort.
—Derek Carwood, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2026
Drums of pesticides and chemicals could be sent to the local dump along with tires and just about anything else people and companies wanted to get rid of.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
The incidents have mainly taken place in states where aerial pesticides have become more commonplace.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
For severe scale infestations on outdoor lemon trees, synthetic pesticides might be a last resort.
—Derek Carwood, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2026
Drums of pesticides and chemicals could be sent to the local dump along with tires and just about anything else people and companies wanted to get rid of.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesticide
Noun
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This discovery represents the oldest direct evidence of arrow poison used by ancient humans for hunting.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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But scientists didn’t have direct evidence of poison on these older weapons.—
Kate Wong,
Scientific American,
7 Jan. 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 Moth Repellant In the old days, people used mothballs as an insecticide.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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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
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The herbicide from Vietnam that haunts him.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
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Pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers will not be permitted.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Plant diseases and pests can be spread by reusing dirty flower pots.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
9 Jan. 2026
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In 2024, Patrick's widow Lisa Niemi Swayze teamed up with leading non profit Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to help raise awareness of the disease and increase funding for research.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The fungicide must thoroughly cover all plant tissues to prevent disease.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
31 Dec. 2025
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The substances span a wide range of uses, from flame retardants and fungicides to insecticides and plastic additives.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
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It’s theorized this is because the brown widow isn’t able to inject as much venom as its larger relative.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
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Their venom Is not considered dangerous to humans, although a bite would likely be painful and cause swelling similar to that of a wasp sting.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Michigan Legislature passed a law in 2008 meant to protect the public from harmful electronic waste toxics.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
27 Dec. 2025
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East Bay parks officials say hikers should beware of an unusually large number of toxic — and potentially deadly — mushrooms sprouting across the region.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pesticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesticide. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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