pesticide
Americannoun
noun
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A chemical used to kill harmful animals or plants. Pesticides are used especially in agriculture and around areas where humans live. Some are harmful to humans, either from direct contact or as residue on food, or are harmful to the environment because of their high toxicity, such as DDT (which is now banned in many countries). Pesticides include fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and rodenticides.
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See more at fungicide herbicide insecticide
Other Word Forms
- pesticidal adjective
Etymology
Origin of pesticide
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.
“One of the most unique things about Bloom Ranch is that in our entire 135-year history, pesticides have never been used here,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times
"Input costs have gone up, pesticides, labour, irrigation. But yields have gone down. Farmers are spending more money but earning less from mango orchards," he adds.
From BBC
The cooperative, which also trains farmers on curbing excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, has expanded its operations with the help of external investment.
From Barron's
The absence of crop-damaging insects also means he doesn't have to use pesticides.
From Barron's
Ryerson said it was "very undervalued how important the pesticide and EPA component is to the voting population."
From Barron's
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.
