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
As the creature lies, slowly dying, on the table of a local healer, Kara vows to find Krem, who wears a little vial around his neck holding the antidote to the poison. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 June 2026 Kara also runs afoul of this crew, and their ruthless and eccentric leader Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) poisons her beloved Krypto. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 June 2026
Verb
As a final comedic beat, Krypto immediately gets into some chocolate — a playful contrast to his earlier near-death experience after being poisoned by Krem. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Despite her initial disinterest, Kara develops a personal stake when Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), the one who killed Ruthye's parents and brother, poisons her dog Krypto. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 25 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
  • Cane toads, large and poisonous invasive amphibians, pose a threat to Floridian pets, particularly during the State's rainy season.
    — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Shrouded completely in a thick, poisonous cloud cover, its surface is obviously impossible to observe.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 5 July 2026
Definition of poisonous
Noun
  • Portside residents face higher cancer risk from air toxics than 93% of the nation.
    — Jose Franco Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2026
  • Asparagus releases a chemical toxic to root knot nematodes, a microscopic round worm that creates multiple disease and growth problems in tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers.
    — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 3 May 2026
Definition of toxic
Verb
  • Attorneys for the owners of the landfill, which stopped accepting trash last year, claimed this spring in the litigation that the lawsuits may be tainted by fraud.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007.
    — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 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
  • There’s no danger of spontaneous mass illiteracy, but the complex cognitive skills that reading fosters start to degrade.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Weather changes, tires degrade, a safety car appears, a driver reports instability or an opponent pits earlier than expected, and the team has seconds to decide whether to stay with the plan or change it.
    — Erum Manzoor, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Following the 2008 housing meltdown, private equity firms such as Blackstone bought thousands of single-family homes at bargain prices and turned them into rentals.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.
    — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of turn
Noun
  • In Orange County, its vector control district reported its first disease-carrying mosquitoes in Newport Beach on June 2.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building's water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of disease
Verb
  • Oil threatens to spoil the market rally … again The Iran war returned to Wall Street's doorstep last week, illustrating the fragility of the interim peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 11 July 2026
  • Nneka Ogwumike had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists and the Los Angeles Sparks spoiled Caitlin Clark’s return, beating the Indiana Fever 106-92 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 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 12 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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