poison 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of poisonnext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

poison

2 of 3

noun

ˈpȯi-zᵊn How to pronounce poison (audio)
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

poison

3 of 3

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to turn
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge malicious rumors had poisoned many church members against the new pastor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 poison
Adjective
Michelle spins a long and complicated tale, but insists Teddy was wrong about the Andromedans trying to infiltrate and poison humanity. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025 Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison. — Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
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
Verb
Although historical records described symptoms consistent with malaria, rumors that Francesco had been poisoned persisted for centuries, Tucci told Fox News Digital. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 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 See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
  1. poisonous
  2. toxic
  3. taint
  4. pollute
  5. degrade
  6. turn
  7. disease
  8. spoil
Adjective
  • For this reason, these poisonous mushrooms are more commonly confused with other types of edible mushrooms like chicken of the woods and chanterelles (more on these in a minute).
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Not all pufferfish are poisonous, but the vast majority contain a lethal neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin in their internal organs and skin.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisonous
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
Verb
  • How can someone from far away seize control of a water system and possibly shut off the flow or taint the water?
    — William Akoto, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The political violence that tainted the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era clashes with traditional definitions of terrorism, which typically targets a power structure that such violence seeks to upend.
    — Jacob Ware, The Conversation, 31 July 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • Use Pretreatments in Water Sunflowers are known for polluting water when excessive debris oozes from their stems.
    — Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Greenpeace Germany warned that oil has already polluted stretches of coastline and damaged the area's fragile ecosystem.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of pollute
Verb
  • If one component degrades over time, the adjacent layers continue to block the movement of radioactive particles toward the surface.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The suspects are alleged to have been connected to the spraying of chemicals across 10,180 hectares (about 25,200 acres) of native forest in the city of Uruara to degrade the vegetation before cutting down the trees.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Illustrations of peacocks, butterflies, and florals turn each acrylic tile into a miniature work of art, while the colorful palette feels perfectly suited for a poolside picnic table.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Moreover, in a study of 29 users of Melanotan II published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, some users reported their skin turning a dull gray color.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of turn
Noun
  • However, pests, heat stress, and diseases like leaf spot can also cause leaf drop.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But Covid-19 vaccines have consistently proved to provide significant protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • The heat won’t be the only thing spoiling New Yorkers’ fun in the sun this weekend.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Without spoiling too much, there is a detour on this treasure hunt that leads Diarra and company into Tubi movie situation.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoil

Browse Nearby Words

poising
poison
poisoned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on poison

Nglish: Translation of poison for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poison

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All