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
Workers spread the pesticide at a rate of 8 ounces per acre.
—
Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Traditional mosquito control often depends on pesticides.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Many shoppers choose organic foods for a variety of reasons, including concerns about pesticide exposure, support for certain farming practices, or environmental considerations.
—Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Traditional mosquito control often depends on pesticides.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Many shoppers choose organic foods for a variety of reasons, including concerns about pesticide exposure, support for certain farming practices, or environmental considerations.
—Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pesticide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pesticide
Noun
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What are the symptoms of poison mushrooms?—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
8 Dec. 2025
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The poison acts as a disinfectant, which kills both the colony-threatening pathogen and the pupae.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
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There are two categories of ozone: stratospheric ozone (naturally found in the atmosphere) and ground-level ozone, a respiratory toxicant that can cause acute respiratory health effects when people breathe high concentrations for several hours, according to TECQ.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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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
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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Grape roots, and the phylloxera on them, can go far deeper into the soil than the soil insecticide treatments, and some of the treatments to the leaves can be damaging to honeybees.—
Charlotte Oliver,
The Conversation,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife in April launched a probe into herbicide use along San Juan Creek.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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Herbicide Damage Tomatoes are sensitive to herbicide drift which can cause stunted growth, curling leaves, and leaf yellowing (chlorosis).—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Noun
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By 1900 that landscape of disease was beginning to change—but slowly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The disease can also be transmitted to humans through ticks and deer flies.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
11 June 2026
Noun
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One is boscalid, the systemic endocrine-disrupting fungicide that the EPA is reevaluating.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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If the problem persists, spray foliage with a fungicide and repeat as necessary.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Mark the edge of the swelling on the bite and make note of the time — the spread from the original mark can indicate how fast the venom is spreading.—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
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The source of the venom was twofold.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 June 2026
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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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
Cite this Entry
“Pesticide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pesticide. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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