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
The film also features former congressman George Santos participating in a game involving dolls representing liberal stereotypes, a mock gas chamber, and a button labeled Zyklon B, the poison used by the Nazis at their death camps. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026 Topology makes the paradox tangible, but choosing a voting system still means picking your poison. — Alex Stone, Quanta Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
Above all, Flanagan understands how even a mother’s love can be poisoned by fear when Carrie uses her newfound powers to wrest control of the household from her mother. — ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026 What researchers uncovered through lab testing and surveillance footage, prosecutors said, was a plot by his fellow graduate student to intentionally poison him. — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 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
  • But major questions remained about how much space exists inside the Earth to store the CO2, how effectively it could be monitored and whether the poisonous, concentrated gas would reliably stay underground.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Mirroring the poisonous arena featured in the movie, Grace paired her vibrant, beaded Almée Couture gown with a high ponytail, leaving her blond bangs out to frame her face.
    — Arushi Jacob, Footwear News, 29 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
  • In fact, aducanumab, sold as Aduhelm, was tainted by the controversy and never achieved broad use.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Of course, the opening and closing ceremonies aren't likely to taint the entire Games.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • Already, nearly 18 million people in the United States, including more than 1 million young children, live near oil and gas wells that will now pollute more freely because of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s actions.
    — Elizabeth Bechard, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The new developments have been singled out for loud noise, polluting power generation, and for disturbing residential neighborhoods and natural landscapes.
    — Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of pollute
Verb
  • Neither of those seats was a Democratic target at the start of this election cycle, but both races saw later investment as the environment appeared to degrade for Republicans.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The experiments will test whether the reactor’s exhaust system can endure the punishment of such high-performance plasma without degrading.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Fundraiser organizers said on the GoFundMe website that Flores would have turned 14 on Friday.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The former policeman turned recluse comes out of retirement to try to figure out whether the boy’s missing sister is still alive.
    — Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of turn
Noun
  • At the time, Stratton was caring for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease.
    — Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system and can be fatal in humans if treatment is not received before symptoms develop.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • Pre-cut produce also spoils faster and often costs more than buying the same item whole.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Pius Suter scored with 59 seconds to play for the Blues to spoil Garand's shutout bid.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 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 9 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poison

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poison

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