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Showing results for insecticide. Search instead for insecticides'.
Synonyms

insecticide

American  
[in-sek-tuh-sahyd] / ɪnˈsɛk təˌsaɪd /

noun

  1. a substance or preparation used for killing insects.

  2. the act of killing insects.

insecticide British  
/ ɪnˈsɛktɪˌsaɪd /

noun

  1. a substance used to destroy insect pests

"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
insecticide Scientific  
/ ĭn-sĕk′tĭ-sīd′ /

  1. A pesticide used to kill insects. Chlordane and DDT are insecticides.

  2. Compare fungicide herbicide rodenticide

Other Word Forms

  • insecticidal adjective
  • noninsecticidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of insecticide

First recorded in 1860–65; insect + -i- + -cide

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Unable to afford insecticide, Cuba has been plagued by mosquito-born diseases, overwhelming medical facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Durnell, and the issue of whether a federal insecticide rule preempts state law.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

The findings appear to confirm the theory that the Bocek family died after being exposed to the toxic insecticide as a result of a pest control treatment used by the hotel they were staying in.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

He added the best way to avoid the virus was to "avoid being bitten" by covering up and using insecticide.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

Requests for money for wildlife- insecticide research were included in annual budgets submitted to the Illinois legislature by the Natural History Survey, but were invariably among the first items to be eliminated.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.