as in poisoned
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
the witch gave Snow White a poison apple
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in toxic
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
the only way to get rid of rats is to leave out poison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
poisoning the minds of impressionable children with ethnic hatred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
exhaust fumes poisoning the air
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
this party partisanship poisons the national debate we should be having about this urgent problem
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of poison
National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.
—National Geographic, 10 Feb. 2020
Sam Tighe, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Its members have been involved in plots to murder anti-fascist activists, poison water supplies, derail trains and attack critical infrastructure.
—Art Jipson, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 13 June 2025
Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poison
Adjective
Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.
—National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.
—National Geographic, 10 Feb. 2020
Noun
Look down the list of the 16 games and pick your poison; someone is going to falter.
—Sam Tighe, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Its members have been involved in plots to murder anti-fascist activists, poison water supplies, derail trains and attack critical infrastructure.
—Art Jipson, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
Verb
The extremists allegedly plotted to poison Kelly’s food, leaving the Chocolate Factory crooner too paranoid to eat.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 13 June 2025
Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
-
The politics at Oakland Unified have moved from contentious to outright toxic in the past two years, with the board split on key votes around financial decisions.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
31 May 2025
-
Just last week, for example, the Trump administration, through its Environmental Protection Agency, proposed to withdraw two rules imposing air toxics and greenhouse gas limits on fossil-fuel power plants.—
Wayne Messam,
Sun Sentinel,
15 June 2025
Verb
-
When Maris slammed his 61st home run to surpass Ruth, many Yankee fans, the media and Ford Frick, baseball’s commissioner at the time, said the accomplishment was tainted.—
Gary Stoller,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
In the filing, Taylor argued that a TV episode about the case has the potential to taint the jury pool.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
Beware of anyone telling you coal or gas is the answer to high energy bills, especially when their profit margins are tied to these polluting fossil fuels.—
Emily Scarr,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
-
Adam is showing how even language, the medium of the novel, can be polluted, corrupted, and transformed into a means of exploitation.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
Customer service was once rated among the highest in the American Customer Satisfaction Index – until relentless budget cuts started to degrade it.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
-
In March, the US carried out extensive strikes on Yemen to degrade the group’s military capabilities.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
Verb
-
The downside is that each method has a potential reaction from the AGI or ASI that could turn things ugly.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Kurt’s key takeaways Meta’s decision to turn chatbot prompts into social content has blurred the line between private and public in a way that catches many users off guard.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives with poisonous mushrooms following a trial that has gripped the world.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 July 2025
-
The atmosphere in the Rockies’ clubhouse is not toxic, unlike Chicago’s, which reportedly was poisonous for much of last season.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Do control the Asian psyllid insects with an insecticide spray at each flush of growth to prevent the spread of greening disease.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 June 2025
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After Yang was found, Police thanked those who assisted in the search for the missing man, who also has Parkinson’s disease.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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