poison
Americannoun
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poisons
plural
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a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.
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something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being.
the poison of slander.
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Slang. any variety of alcoholic liquor.
Name your poison!
verb (used with object)
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poisons,
present (3rd person singular)
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poisoned,
past participle, past
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poisoning
present participle
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to administer poison to (a person or animal).
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to kill or injure with or as if with poison.
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to put poison into or upon; saturate with poison.
to poison food.
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to ruin, vitiate, or corrupt.
Hatred had poisoned his mind.
- Synonyms:
- taint, pollute, contaminate
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Chemistry. to destroy or diminish the activity of (a catalyst or enzyme).
adjective
noun
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any substance that can impair function, cause structural damage, or otherwise injure the body
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something that destroys, corrupts, etc
the poison of fascism
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a substance that retards a chemical reaction or destroys or inhibits the activity of a catalyst
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a substance that absorbs neutrons in a nuclear reactor and thus slows down the reaction. It may be added deliberately or formed during fission
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informal what would you like to drink?
verb
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to give poison to (a person or animal) esp with intent to kill
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to add poison to
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to taint or infect with or as if with poison
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(foll by against) to turn (a person's mind) against
he poisoned her mind against me
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to retard or stop (a chemical or nuclear reaction) by the action of a poison
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to inhibit or destroy (the activity of a catalyst) by the action of a poison
Usage
What does poison mean? A poison is a substance that causes bodily harm or destroys health, The vile was filled with a deadly poison. In this sense, poison can be used as a verb to mean to give poison to a living thing, as in The farmer poisoned his rival’s sheep. Poison can also mean to harm or kill a living thing with poison, as in The king died because he had been poisoned by one of his own knights. And poison can mean to add poison to something, as in The knight poisoned the king’s wine to achieve his wicked goal. More generally, poison can be used to refer to any harmful or corruptive thing, as in Trevor was doomed by the poison of gambling. In this sense, you can use poison as a verb as well, as in Isabelle’s mind was poisoned by the lies contained in the forbidden books. Finally, poison can be used as an adjective to mean something that can cause poisoning, as in There are many poison plants in the woods. Something that contains poison is said to be poisonous, as in He went to the hospital after being bitten by a poisonous spider. Example: Because we handle chemicals that are dangerous poisons in our lab, we take many safety precautions.
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
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poisonernoun
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poisonlessnessnoun
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self-poisonernoun
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outpoisonverb (used with object)
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poisonlessadjective
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unpoisonedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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poisonsimple
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poisonssimple
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have poisonedperfect
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has poisonedperfect
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am poisoningprogressive
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are poisoningprogressive
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is poisoningprogressive
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have been poisoningperfect progressive
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has been poisoningperfect progressive
Past
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poisonedsimple
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had poisonedperfect
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was poisoningprogressive
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were poisoningprogressive
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had been poisoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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.
Explanation
Poison is a substance that can harm or even kill you. Arsenic and cyanide are both types of poison—so stay away from them! Mean people can also be poison, so stay away from them too. Poison refers to the harmful substance itself, or the act of giving it to someone. Poison often shows up in murder mysteries because it’s a sneaky way to get rid of someone. We also use poison metaphorically for things that tend to ruin something. A really obnoxious friend who always insists that he knows more than everyone else might poison the atmosphere at a dinner party. Jealousy can poison a good relationship.
Vocabulary lists containing poison
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
But as is so often the case in world affairs, there are no good guys in the story and you have to pick your poison.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Research has found acetamiprid can poison honeybees, affecting their foraging capacity and memory, while a 2024 study suggested flupyradifurone could be lethal to some bees.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
A toxic dump that humans couldn’t see or smell wrought perhaps the worst damage on the ocean in one place from a single poison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
That combo has been pure poison for airlines in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
She had done everything in her power to stop the poison tide peacefully, and she had almost succeeded.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Nicola, a poisons information specialist, had received her paddleboard for her 40th birthday just weeks earlier and had been excited about going on the trip run by Lloyd's company, Salty Dog Co Ltd.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
If one does not appreciate the nature and importance of the squabble, Freidenberg maintained, one cannot really grasp how totalitarianism poisons every moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
We need to understand why wishing ill on the other side is wrong and why such talk poisons civic life and dooms everyone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025
But if the atmosphere poisons me and I die of cancer, I am not enjoying "personal liberties" of any sort…
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2025
If he possesses at birth some qualities that make him less susceptible than others to poisons he is more likely to survive and produce children.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Notably, neither scavengers nor flies that fed on the supposedly poisoned carcasses have perished -- creatures that typically succumb after consuming poisoned animals.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
It also can wreak havoc on wildlife, with numerous pelicans and sea lions being poisoned in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Supergirl follows Kara-Zor-El, played by Alcock, on her 23rd birthday as she goes on a quest to save her dog, Krypto, after he is poisoned.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
"It's kind of a poisoned chalice for any Chinese defence minister to speak out publicly," said Jennifer Parker, adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia's Defence and Security Institute.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Over time beyond measure, these poisoned rivers, in the region between fire and mist, slowly solidified into huge glaciers.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
While observers still question the possible cause of death, several specialists interviewed by AFP dismiss poisoning.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Salmonella, a bacterial pathogen, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
After a 2022 bout of E. coli poisoning at Wendy’s, the stock fell 13% over six weeks but rebounded 25% over the next couple of months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
But his life was plagued by bouts of acute depression which caused repeated admissions to psychiatric hospitals - where Oddie suffered from severe lithium poisoning as a result of his treatment.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Though her case was never classified as a homicide, agents had clearly suspected poisoning.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
