poison 1 of 3

poison

2 of 3

noun

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
2
3
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
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison. Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025 Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs. National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Noun
In this lead-free America, children grow up with their minds and bodies not damaged by this poison. Tom Frieden, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025 Dogs like to catch them in their mouths, and the toad excretes the poison into dog's mouth. Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, witnesses testified to the ways these games poisoned children’s minds, just as other modern entertainment did. Time, 8 Oct. 2025 Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by security services, imprisoned on politically motivated charges and ultimately died in prison in 2024. Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
  • 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
  • Environmental advocates say the new regulation of air toxics, which was required under a 2022 bill called Public Protections From Toxic Air Contaminants, will make the state’s air cleaner and its people healthier.
    Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the end, when Malcolm pulls out a sword on him, Brian is given little choice but to kill Malcolm in front of Ellen in the ensuing battle, tainting the start of the happy couple’s life together.
    Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Suddenly, my spotless record was tainted.
    Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For instance, an injunction to stop a company from polluting a lake is premised on the idea that damage to a lake and the life in it is irreparable.
    Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Gas from Tehran fuels nearly a third of Iraq's electricity generation, yet frequent and prolonged outages remain common, forcing residents to rely on costly, polluting private generators.
    Emma Graham, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The team discovered that oxygen can degrade riboflavin when exposed to light, which leads to self-discharge.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In Brazil, wildcat gold mining degrades the Amazon rainforest and imperils Indigenous groups.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As the credits appeared on TV, Breakker hit Rollins with a spear, turning his back on his former stablemate of The Vision.
    Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The actor, who turned 98 on March 31, spoke to PEOPLE earlier this year.
    Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But to isolate gold, galamsey workers typically use poisonous mercury, which pollutes drinking water and farmland and has been linked to serious illness and birth defects.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
  • However, new evidence indicates that exposure to the poisonous element is not necessarily a new issue.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That research has also linked ultraprocessed foods to health concerns like obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease.
    Alice Callahan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Other factors include age (most cases occur after age 50), diet (a high-fat diet can increase cancer risk), and family history of the disease.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Wildcats spoiled the Nittany Lions' homecoming game, outscoring them 9-7 in the fourth quarter to just squeak out the win.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The North Carolina Courage spoiled Bay FC’s last home game of the season Friday night as Manaka Matsukubo’s hat trick led to a resounding 4-1 win, matching the most lopsided home loss in Bay’s two-year history.
    Jon Becker, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on 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!