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

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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

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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

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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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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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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

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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
Revenge… Historically, femme spirits have been more likely than men to use poison as an act of killing. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026 Kara changes her tune when Krem hijacks Kara’s ship and shoots Krypto with a poison dart. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026
Verb
Chism’s defense asked that the court not release the affidavit, citing there was no legitimate purpose to release at this time and that doing so could poison any future jury pool. — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026 The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts). — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 June 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
  • Wildfire smoke contains noxious or poisonous gases and particulate matter, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, affecting people with respiratory problems, says the Environmental Protection Agency.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 16 July 2026
  • How plants poisonous to dogs cause harm Not all toxic plants affect dogs the same way, but many share similar chemicals that attack the digestive system.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 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
  • The issue is a sensitive one for Labour, which was found to be tainted with antisemitism before Starmer took over, and also relies on the support of a large Muslim population.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • Peterson denied new trial In December, Judge Massullo denied a habeas petition filed by Scott in October, which alleged a juror had tainted the pool by lying about her history of domestic abuse during selection.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • We’re paralyzed by whether a carbon-belching fossil fuel company’s right to pollute should outweigh the rest of the country’s right to clean air and a stable climate.
    — Max Taves, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
  • Clara Benson, who is one of the founders of the No Big Bend Wall coalition, says bright lights in the area designed to illuminate the border could pollute the skies in an area renowned for having some of the best views of the stars.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of pollute
Verb
  • The attacks, involving fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels, struck missile and drone facilities, naval assets and coastal defense systems to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping, Centcom said.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 15 July 2026
  • Preserving the forests that remain, while restoring those that have been degraded, may ultimately prove far more valuable than chasing ever-larger tree-planting targets alone.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Their next journey was to the island of Aeaea, where Circe (Samantha Morton) turned Odysseus’ men into pigs.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Most accounts read Qatar's rise as gas turned into money, turned into visibility, a soft-power story with expensive props.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of turn
Noun
  • Already large clinical trials are testing if certain drugs could prevent or at least delay the disease — and if any of those pan out, doctors will need an easy way to tell who should try them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
  • The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office determined Quinonez Palomares died of cardiovascular disease, with obesity listed as a significant contributing condition.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • After spending her time being a wonderful mom, Tiny is ready for someone to spoil her.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 17 July 2026
  • The snippets Quichocho saw online didn’t spoil the film for her.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of spoil

Browse Nearby Words

poising
poison
poisoned
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Cite this Entry

“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poison

Nglish: Translation of poison for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poison

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