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.

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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 )

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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.

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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.)

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Etymology

Origin of food poisoning

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

food poisoning

I’m such an oyster person that I’ve actually gotten food poisoning twice in the past two years from oysters and I will not let that stop me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

It comes after the UK Health Security Agency declared a national outbreak of salmonella food poisoning after one person died and hundreds more fell ill.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Salmonella, a bacterial pathogen, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Given the state of epidemiology and data analysis, food poisoning probably shouldn’t be a monthlong mystery, and yet here we are.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

The nurse says it’s not food poisoning, since no one else got sick but me.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• botulism
• salmonella