food poisoning

American  

noun

1. an acute gastrointestinal condition characterized by such symptoms as headache, fever, chills, abdominal and muscular pain, nausea, diarrhea, and prostration, caused by foods that are naturally toxic, as poisonous mushrooms, by vegetable foods that are chemically contaminated, as by insecticides, or by bacteria or their toxins, especially of the genus Salmonella.

---

food poisoning British  

noun

1. an acute illness typically characterized by gastrointestinal inflammation, vomiting, and diarrhoea, caused by food that is either naturally poisonous or contaminated by pathogenic bacteria (esp Salmonella )

---

food poisoning Scientific  

1. An acute gastrointestinal disorder characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, usually of the genus Salmonella or the genus Staphylococcus, which produces a toxin.

---

food poisoning Cultural  

1. Illnesses that arise from eating food contaminated with pathogenic or toxic (see toxins) substances. Characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, food poisoning is often caused by bacteria, such as salmonella or staphylococci. (See botulism.)

---

Etymology

Origin of food poisoning

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Menus are hammered out course by course, with ingredients screened to avoid poisoning—not just by would-be assassins but also regular old food poisoning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

It rose for every category except infant formula, where Nestlé recalled some products in January due to concerns they contained a toxin that can cause food poisoning.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Symptoms may resemble food poisoning or, in rare cases, a condition known as anisakiasis.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

His employee, Sawyer, had called in sick with food poisoning the night before.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

I didn’t know what was wrong with dude, but it wasn’t no regular stomach flu or food poisoning.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• botulism
• salmonella