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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.
—Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 6 Feb. 2026
For nearly 60 years, the drug of choice was warfarin, which was originally developed as a rat poison.
—David Cox, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.
—Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 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
For instance, it's sometimes used to bind to certain poisons before your body absorbs them.
—Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 6 Feb. 2026
For nearly 60 years, the drug of choice was warfarin, which was originally developed as a rat poison.
—David Cox, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
He was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok while flying from Moscow to Siberia in 2020 and treated in Germany.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.
—Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
-
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
-
East Bay parks officials say hikers should beware of an unusually large number of toxic — and potentially deadly — mushrooms sprouting across the region.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
That means every angle needs to be screen-ready and not tainted by equipment, crew or the director.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The entire imbroglio proved hugely damaging, not only to Boohoo but also the Leicester garment industry, which was already struggling to cope with the manufacturing shift overseas before the fear of being tainted by scandal led its remaining buyers to flee en masse.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Japan, one of the world's top carbon emitters, plans to ship emissions from its heavily polluting industries –– spanning electric power, oil refining, cement, shipping and steel –– to Malaysia within the next few years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
All the money in the world isn’t going to save you when the air is polluted and the water is undrinkable.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In many cases submitted to Othram, the main challenge can be having to rely solely on significantly old remains, as in Ritchie’s case, or other pieces of evidence that have degraded over time, Othram’s CEO David Mittelman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Cement and steel degrade and corrode over time (especially when underground and in constant contact with saltwater).—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Since last fall, the Media Research Center, a right-wing organization that criticizes legacy media outlets, has turned its attention on Apple News’ story selection.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless poisonous gas that at high levels can cause loss of consciousness and death.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Kirk recognized that this crude conspiracism was poisonous to his project of popularizing the conservative cause.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After whooping cough vaccinations declined in Dallas County over the last year, the preventable disease spiked to the highest numbers of infections officials have seen in over a decade, Huang said.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That made kid gloves the perfect choice for a servant handling fine silverware, where even a fingerprint could spoil the dinner presentation.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The Clippers tried to spoil the party, but Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets rode the good vibes of his return across the finish line.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
