Agent Orange

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noun

a powerful herbicide and defoliant containing trace amounts of dioxin, a toxic impurity suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, in some persons exposed to it and birth defects in their offspring: used by U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungles.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Agent Orange

First recorded in 1965–70; so called from the color of the identifying stripe on the drums in which it was stored

Words nearby Agent Orange

agential, agentival, agentive, agent noun, agent of production, Agent Orange, agent provocateur, agentry, Age of Anxiety, Age of Aquarius, age of consent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Agent Orange in a sentence

Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
My agent at the time sent that tape to SNL and then they asked me to come in for an audition.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I could complain about how, two out of eight episodes in, Agent Carter is in no hurry to introduce its real villain.
Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy|Melissa Leon|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lalo said he reported the kidnapping to his ICE handlers, which was confirmed by a former federal agent familiar with the case.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A sad-faced orange Star of David flashed across the iPhone screen as we swiped left on “James” (not his real name).
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That the inconstancy of such notices, in cases equally important, proves they did not proceed from any such agent.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Some one had gathered orange and lemon branches, and with these fashioned graceful festoons between.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The board will appoint a settling agent who shall keep the necessary records and accounts.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
It is probable he wished to provide written proof of a plea that he was an unwilling agent in the clutch of a mutinous army.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The long line of little gray, weather-beaten houses nestled peacefully among the orange trees.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for Agent Orange

Agent Orange

noun

a highly poisonous herbicide used as a spray for defoliation and crop destruction, esp by US forces during the Vietnam War

Word Origin for Agent Orange

C20: named after the identifying colour stripe on its container

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Agent Orange

Agent Orange

A mixture of equal amounts of two herbicides known as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, and trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin (a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T). It was used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.