poison

[ poi-zuhn ]

noun

1. a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.
2. something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being:

   the poison of slander.

3. Slang. any variety of alcoholic liquor:

   Name your poison!

verb (used with object)

1. to administer poison to (a person or animal).
2. to kill or injure with or as if with poison.
3. to put poison into or upon; saturate with poison:

   to poison food.

4. to ruin, vitiate, or corrupt:

   Hatred had poisoned his mind.

   Synonyms: taint, pollute, contaminate

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

adjective

1. causing poisoning; poisonous:

   a poison shrub.

poison

/ ˈpɔɪzən /

noun

1. any substance that can impair function, cause structural damage, or otherwise injure the body toxic
2. something that destroys, corrupts, etc

   the poison of fascism

3. a substance that retards a chemical reaction or destroys or inhibits the activity of a catalyst
4. a substance that absorbs neutrons in a nuclear reactor and thus slows down the reaction. It may be added deliberately or formed during fission
5. what's your poison? informal.
   what's your poison? what would you like to drink?

verb

1. to give poison to (a person or animal) esp with intent to kill
2. to add poison to
3. to taint or infect with or as if with poison
4. foll by against to turn (a person's mind) against

   he poisoned her mind against me

5. to retard or stop (a chemical or nuclear reaction) by the action of a poison
6. to inhibit or destroy (the activity of a catalyst) by the action of a poison

Derived Forms

• ˈpoisoner, noun

Other Words From

• poison·er noun
• poison·less adjective
• poison·less·ness noun
• outpoison verb (used with object)
• self-poison·er noun
• un·poisoned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of poison¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of poison¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with poison , also see one man's meat is another man's poison .

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Give him an insoluble problem and he’ll toss you a new way it can be decomposed, poisoned, or healed by a fungus.

From Nautilus

Inhaling toxic vapors after a spill can poison marine mammals.

From Science News For Students

Any research that offers new ways to manage pests without poisons is very exciting, says Arianne Cease.

From Science News For Students

Mansoor, who had already been targeted by surveillance for many years, was suspicious and didn’t click the poisoned link.

From MIT Technology Review

That makes it harder to conclude precisely where the newts’ poison comes from, Hanifin argues.

From Science News For Students

Leapolitan responded by saying, “hopefully youll [sic] bite into a poison apple.”

From The Daily Beast

And some members of the Lizard Squad are now claiming that they were never trying to poison the network.

From The Daily Beast

Infernal, it can cause fires and explosions; toxic, it can debilitate, poison, and kill.

From The Daily Beast

Then came the horrors of World War I, with the advent of tanks and airplanes and poison gas.

From The Daily Beast

“Either you poison yourselves or you take this which shoots,” the boss says.

From The Daily Beast

The tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a virulent poison known as Nicotine.

From Project Gutenberg

They affirmed it was an antidote to all poison; that it expelled rheums, sour humours, and obstructions of all kinds.

From Project Gutenberg

He lived in a perpetual fear and danger of discovery; and discovery now was but another name, for poison—prison—death.

From Project Gutenberg

He carries a bamboo basket in which he has put a mixture containing a curious kind of poison.

From Project Gutenberg

Strange perhaps to say, the suggestion of the old dowager, like instilled poison, was making its way into her very veins.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• corrupt
• debase
• destroy
• harm
• infect
• injure
• kill
• stain
• subvert
• taint
• undermine

More About Poison

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.

Where does poison come from?

The first records of the word poison come from around 1200. It ultimately comes from the Latin pōtiōn-, a stem of pōtiō that means “a drink, potion or poisonous draught.” Even the ancient Romans knew that some substances were dangerous to drink or eat.

The words toxin and venom are used to describe specific kinds of poisons. Toxin refers to poisons made by organisms, especially those that bacteria or fungi release. Venom most often refers to the poisons of animals, which are injected into victims by bites or stings, such as from snakes or scorpions.

As with all chemicals that are potentially deadly or dangerous, items that can be poisonous are clearly labelled with warnings. Bug sprays and rat poison are just two examples of things you can buy at the store that will have warnings like this.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to poison?

• poisoner (noun)
• poisonless (adjective)
• poisonlessness (noun)
• outpoison (verb)

What are some synonyms for poison?

• toxin
• venom
• contamination
• corrupt
• infect
• taint

What are some words that share a root or word element with poison? 

• poisonous
• potion

What are some words that often get used in discussing poison?

• harm
• death
• food
• plants
• snakes

How is poison used in real life?

Poison is a common word used to describe something that is literally or figuratively harmful.

According to CNN, a suspicious letter has been sent to the U.S. Senate. The letter has tested positive for ricin, a deadly poison.

— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) April 16, 2013

BERLIN (AP) — The German hospital treating Russian dissident Alexei Navalny says tests indicate that he was poisoned.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 24, 2020

Honestly I think social media is a poison.

— Austin Cates (@Amanforthewin) May 1, 2017

Try using poison!

True or False?

A poison is a substance that can damage the body or cause death.