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
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
Most died from manmade poisons. Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025 Disney Villains have broken out of the Halloween season and moved into more permanent homes at Disney theme parks, where their poison apples and magic potions promise to turn happily ever after into a nightmare fantastic on a year-round basis. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Chloe then baked a cake poisoned with oleander leaves killing the owner’s wife and some children. Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025 The original trees had to be removed in 2013 after being poisoned by Alabama fan Harvey Updyke. Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 25 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
  • Bonds and Clemens would be shoo-ins for the Hall had their careers in MLB not been tainted by the accusations.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • In the letter, Radcliffe spoke out against Rowling’s comments and apologized to any Harry Potter fans who have since felt the novel and magical universe has been tainted by the author’s transphobic statements.
    Quispe López, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He was reared in an environment polluted with drugs, gangs and violence.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
  • In 2021 alone, the world produced more than 390 million tons of plastic annually, most of which continues to pollute the environment.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The local politicians like Mayor Wu who are staying mum are just compounding cronyism and degrading the livability of the neighborhood.
    Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The goal is to understand exactly how and why performance degrades over time.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Iliad tells the story of the Greeks’ greatest warrior, Achilles, who sulks in his tent for most of the poem before rejoining the fight and turning the tide.
    Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Mahomes had his head turned toward the opposite side of the field, so Rice sprinted into a shallow cross to meet him there — long enough to finally lock eyes.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Nothing was more freeing than finally realizing how poisonous these people are.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The scorpion, who will sting with their poisonous venom when hurt, is extremely intuitive and highly aware of their surroundings.
    Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Featuring women at the intersections of gender, age, disability, and disease, Pinjar is a nuanced illustration of this.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The country has also eradicated once-rampant tropical diseases like malaria.
    Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Toronto Blue Jays nearly ended their 32-year World Series drought, but the Los Angeles Dodgers spoiled their hopes in Game 7.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Mizzou had a chance to spoil the fun and put the national spotlight on Columbia.
    Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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