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
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
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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
Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.
—Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
After the performance, there’s no turning back, and the blood flows like wine, or poison.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Protesters, however, say that HERC, which neighbors Target Field near the North Loop neighborhood, is responsible for essentially poisoning people who live nearby.
—Conor Wight, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
If consumed, rat poison can inhibit blood clotting in the body, potentially causing bleeding gums, nose bleeds and bruising, among other symptoms, the Austrian health agency said.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
After the performance, there’s no turning back, and the blood flows like wine, or poison.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Protesters, however, say that HERC, which neighbors Target Field near the North Loop neighborhood, is responsible for essentially poisoning people who live nearby.
—Conor Wight, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
-
Taking supporting women’s wrongs—and rights—to new levels, everyone’s favorite toxic on-screen Girl Boss duo are back for a fourth season of Industry: Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani.—
Chloe Laws,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The airline has been one of the most successful startups in aviation history, but its rapid growth has been tainted by several accidents and questions about the reliability of its aged fleet.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
And you’re also reminded that such things are still tainted, even if the movie twists itself into knots to circumvent such thinking, and the level of innocence required to listen to those hits is long gone.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
-
As of last April, the state environmental agency was also lagging behind on inspections of polluting facilities, according to the audit.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some mineral sunscreen manufacturers add UV filters such as butyloctyl salicylic acid and ethylhexyl methoxycrylene to prevent SPF levels from degrading in zinc oxide, which Downs has linked to potential cancer risks and coral toxicity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Even certain nonstick surfaces can degrade over time.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chicago had to remake its safety depth chart this offseason, and Coby Bryant and Thieneman have turned a potential weakness into a strength.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The scene at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington turned chaotic, Los Angeles Times reporters wrote, when a man dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire.—
Karim Doumar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The villain, though, is not Michael Jackson but his father, Joe, whose determination to get his boys out of Gary, Indiana, turns into something more poisonous.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Except for the Genetic Infantry, blue super soldiers engineered by the Southers to survive the poisonous atmosphere.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The proposal would burden doctors with giving parents a highly detailed consent statement to be prepared by boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine, and forbid health authorities to order vaccinations during outbreaks of familiar or new deadly diseases.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Overall, about half of children with the disease are infected during birth, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said, while others caught it from family members.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hopefully, Biedermann will not be spoiled by his plaudits.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The Wilderness guides at Magashi Peninsula are well trained, the accommodation and food spoiling, and the wildlife sightings glorious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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