poison

[ poi-zuhn ]

/ ˈpɔɪ zən /

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See synonyms for: poison / poisoned / poisoning on Thesaurus.com

noun

a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.

something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being: the poison of slander.

Slang. any variety of alcoholic liquor: Name your poison!

verb (used with object)

to administer poison to (a person or animal).

to kill or injure with or as if with poison.

to put poison into or upon; saturate with poison: to poison food.

to ruin, vitiate, or corrupt: Hatred had poisoned his mind.

Chemistry. to destroy or diminish the activity of (a catalyst or enzyme).

adjective

causing poisoning; poisonous: a poison shrub.

SYNONYMS FOR poison

7 contaminate, pollute, taint.

See synonyms for poison on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of poison

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English puisun, from Old French, from Latin pōtiōn- (stem of pōtiō) “drink, potion, poisonous draught.” See potion.

synonym study for poison

1. Poison, toxin, venom are terms for any substance that injures the health or destroys life when absorbed into the system, especially of a higher animal. Poison is the general word: a poison for insects. A toxin is a poison produced by an organism; it is especially used in medicine in reference to disease-causing bacterial secretions: A toxin produces diphtheria. Venom is especially used of the poisons secreted by certain animals, usually injected by bite or sting: the venom of a snake.

OTHER WORDS FROM poison

poi·son·er, nounpoi·son·less, adjectivepoi·son·less·ness, nounoutpoison, verb (used with object)

self-poi·son·er, nounun·poi·soned, adjective

Words nearby poison

poised, poiser, Poiseuille's law, Poiseuille's space, poisha, poison, poison-arrow frog, poison bean, poison dogwood, poison gas, poison haw

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for poison

Give him an insoluble problem and he’ll toss you a new way it can be decomposed, poisoned, or healed by a fungus.
The Fungal Evangelist Who Would Save the Bees - Issue 90: Something Green|Merlin Sheldrake|September 23, 2020|Nautilus
Inhaling toxic vapors after a spill can poison marine mammals.
Whale blowholes don’t keep out seawater|Rasha Aridi|September 22, 2020|Science News For Students
Any research that offers new ways to manage pests without poisons is very exciting, says Arianne Cease.
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm|Jonathan Lambert|September 7, 2020|Science News For Students
Mansoor, who had already been targeted by surveillance for many years, was suspicious and didn’t click the poisoned link.
The man who built a spyware empire says it’s time to come out of the shadows|Bobbie Johnson|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

When animals swallow the poison in low doses, it can cause a tingling or numbness.
Toxic germs on its skin make this newt deadly|Erin Garcia de Jesus|June 23, 2020|Science News For Students
Leapolitan responded by saying, “hopefully youll [sic] bite into a poison apple.”
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And some members of the Lizard Squad are now claiming that they were never trying to poison the network.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Infernal, it can cause fires and explosions; toxic, it can debilitate, poison, and kill.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.|Geoff Manaugh|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then came the horrors of World War I, with the advent of tanks and airplanes and poison gas.
How Clausewitz Invented Modern War|James A. Warren|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Either you poison yourselves or you take this which shoots,” the boss says.
Days of Mafia Mayhem Are Wracking Italy Once Again|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a virulent poison known as Nicotine.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
They affirmed it was an antidote to all poison; that it expelled rheums, sour humours, and obstructions of all kinds.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
He lived in a perpetual fear and danger of discovery; and discovery now was but another name, for poison—prison—death.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He carries a bamboo basket in which he has put a mixture containing a curious kind of poison.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Strange perhaps to say, the suggestion of the old dowager, like instilled poison, was making its way into her very veins.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for poison

poison

/ (ˈpɔɪzən) /

noun

any substance that can impair function, cause structural damage, or otherwise injure the bodyRelated adjective: toxic

something that destroys, corrupts, etcthe poison of fascism

a substance that retards a chemical reaction or destroys or inhibits the activity of a catalyst

a substance that absorbs neutrons in a nuclear reactor and thus slows down the reaction. It may be added deliberately or formed during fission

what's your poison? informal what would you like to drink?

verb (tr)

to give poison to (a person or animal) esp with intent to kill

to add poison to

to taint or infect with or as if with poison

(foll by against) to turn (a person's mind) againsthe poisoned her mind against me

to retard or stop (a chemical or nuclear reaction) by the action of a poison

to inhibit or destroy (the activity of a catalyst) by the action of a poison

Derived forms of poison

poisoner, noun

Word Origin for poison

C13: from Old French puison potion, from Latin pōtiō a drink, esp a poisonous one, from pōtāre to drink

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

Medical definitions for poison

poison

[ poi′zən ]

n.

A substance taken internally or applied externally that is injurious to health or dangerous to life.

A chemical substance that inhibits another substance or a reaction.

v.

To kill or harm with poison.

Idioms and Phrases with poison

poison

In addition to the idiom beginning with poison

, also see

one man's meat is another man's poison

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