paraquat
noun
a toxic herbicide, C 1 2 H 1 4 N 2 ⋅2CH 3 SO 4 , applied to food and flower crops and to highway borders as a defoliant and weed-killer.
paraquat
American
[par-uh-kwaht]
/ ˈpær əˌkwɑt /
noun
Chemistry.
Paraquat
British
/ ˈpærəˌkwɒt /
noun
paraquat
Scientific
/ păr′ə-kwŏt′ /
Etymology
Origin of paraquat
1960–65; para- 1 + quat(ernary), in reference to the bond between the two pyridyl groups, which is in the para position with respect to their quaternary nitrogen atoms
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.
See Examples For:
“The fact is, farmworkers and nearby communites have been unprotected from the health threats of paraquat, making this decision long overdue.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We paid thousands of dollars to have it analyzed. … I mean, the paraquat thing was totally scientifically wrong.”
From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2025
The federal government banned the use of the weedkiller paraquat on golf courses in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Weller noted that there are more than 130 pesticides used in California that are not approved in the European Union, including paraquat, which is banned in about 60 countries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024
Syngenta, a leading manufacturer of paraquat, raked in a reported $32 billion in sales in 2023, according to its annual report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024
Paraquat is a herbicide commonly used on farms and in yards for weed control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Paraquat has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits from people seeking damages related to exposure to the product, including people who say it has given them Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2024
Paraquat is manufactured by Syngenta, a Switzerland-based company that is owned by the Chinese government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
In a statement provided to the BBC, it said: "Despite decades of investigation and myriad epidemiological and laboratory studies, no scientist or doctor has ever concluded in a peer-reviewed scientific analysis that Paraquat causes Parkinson's."
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
Last month, its draft report said the benefits of using Paraquat outweighed the health risks but that it had still to look at 90 submissions, including scientific studies, concerning the risks of Parkinson's.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
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