as in poisons
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
read a pamphlet on the toxin responsible for botulism, a food poisoning that can cause paralysis and even death in some cases
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Recent Examples of toxins
Curcumin's antioxidant properties may also protect the lungs from damage caused by long-term exposure to toxins.
—
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 6 Feb. 2026
The Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that these crimes have increased over the last five years and lists 17 cases since 2014 of people attempting to poison their family members, using toxins such as ricin and cyanide, resulting in at least 11 deaths.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
The intelligence bulletin also highlights recent incidents showing the threat posed by the domestic use of chemical and biological toxins.
—Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The stonewalling continued until last year when City Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) pushed through legislation ordering the city’s Department of Investigation to launch a probe over what and when the city knew about the toxins.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Accidental ingestion is safe for healthy adults, says Wang, who explains that the hard outer coating of citrus seeds prevents the release of potential toxins, allowing the seeds to pass through the body undigested.
—Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
It was already known that charcoal could filter out toxins, trapping those toxic gas molecules on the surface of the charcoal.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
National assessments document toxins associated with algal blooms in many states, particularly where warm temperatures and nutrient pollution overlap.
—Dinesh Phuyal, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Bausch was working on a treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, a condition where toxins build up in the blood, hurting brain function, in patients with liver disease.
—Christina Cheddar Berk,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 6 Feb. 2026
The Department of Homeland Security warned in a bulletin that these crimes have increased over the last five years and lists 17 cases since 2014 of people attempting to poison their family members, using toxins such as ricin and cyanide, resulting in at least 11 deaths.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
The intelligence bulletin also highlights recent incidents showing the threat posed by the domestic use of chemical and biological toxins.
—Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The stonewalling continued until last year when City Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) pushed through legislation ordering the city’s Department of Investigation to launch a probe over what and when the city knew about the toxins.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Accidental ingestion is safe for healthy adults, says Wang, who explains that the hard outer coating of citrus seeds prevents the release of potential toxins, allowing the seeds to pass through the body undigested.
—Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
It was already known that charcoal could filter out toxins, trapping those toxic gas molecules on the surface of the charcoal.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
National assessments document toxins associated with algal blooms in many states, particularly where warm temperatures and nutrient pollution overlap.
—Dinesh Phuyal, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Bausch was working on a treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, a condition where toxins build up in the blood, hurting brain function, in patients with liver disease.
—Christina Cheddar Berk,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toxins
Noun
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For instance, it's sometimes used to bind to certain poisons before your body absorbs them.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
6 Feb. 2026
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Police reported that the dentist purchased a variety of poisons prior to her death.—
Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Environmental advocates say the new regulation of air toxics, which was required under a 2022 bill called Public Protections From Toxic Air Contaminants, will make the state’s air cleaner and its people healthier.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Cassidy, a physician specializing in liver diseases and a vocal supporter of vaccination, had questioned Kennedy sharply in a hearing about his views on shots.—
Amanda Seitz,
NPR,
13 Feb. 2026
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Smoking Like other lung diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), smoking or significant secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of adult onset asthma.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Funding a promising breakthrough In laboratory trials with rodents, the new nanobody antivenom prevented the deaths of mice exposed to venoms from 17 of the 18 snake species.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
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Neely Lab is interested in applying the technology to gene editing, having previously used CRISPR to understand the mechanisms behind how venoms cause cell death and pain, and how proteins bind to cells, including the crucial spike protein in SARS-CoV-2.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toxins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toxins. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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