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
On the floor, there is a plate with poison/chemical for rat, mop sink room. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 Previous strategies for growing plants on Mars included rinsing these poisons out, bringing supplemental fertilizers from Earth, or avoiding Martian soil entirely and using hydroponics. — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
James Folta considers how generative AI is poisoning the literary well for everyone. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 Apparently, Griffith now suspected that the Mesmers had poisoned Briswalter, and planned to poison him next. — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 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
  • Now, a poisonous residue on the same crowbar has left him incapacitated.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This low-temperature, low-pressure hydrometallurgical method removes arsenic cleanly and operates without fossil fuels or poisonous gas emissions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 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
  • Of course, the opening and closing ceremonies aren't likely to taint the entire Games.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Now his carelessness had tainted her memory of this auspicious day.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • When those waters are polluted, the damage is not confined to a technical measurement in a permit or a line on a monitoring report.
    — Dana Adkins, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Norway rats can transmit diseases to humans and other animals, damage property, and pollute food.
    — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of pollute
Verb
  • With a major election less than a week away, candidates and their consultants are pounding Floridians with a barrage of words — some intended to cast themselves in a flattering light, some intended to smear and degrade their opponents.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Faulkner said he is fed up with Citation’s yearslong pattern of degrading his pastures.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • But one item that is broken out in the report is $100 million, for turning tracks that would allow trains to be turned at the airport.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says its Evasion and Graffiti Lawlessness Eradication (EAGLE) Teams aren't going away despite two recent confrontations between fare inspectors and bus riders that turned physical.
    — Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of turn
Noun
  • The man fell into a coma and succumbed to the disease on October 9, 2026, after life support was withdrawn.
    — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Amid the onset of Parkinson’s disease, Lincoln retired from the museum in 2014.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • My interruptions only spoiled the spontaneous flow of Bob’s thoughts.
    — Keith McDermott, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In at least one case, refrigeration units' temperatures were turned up overnight, leaving large quantities of food wilted or spoiled by morning, Reuters reported.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 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 2 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poison

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poison

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