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:
"We take note of it and respect this decision, which applies to everyone," he said on X, vowing to continue fighting against what he described as "a deadly poison for our children".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
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
At his own stampede speech, Hogan called separatism "a poison" dividing families across the province.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Then the poison tide came rushing back, and she was surrounded by dust once again.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Wildlife officials had found that many of these poisons worked their way through the food chain, sickening and killing owls, raptors, coyotes and mountain lions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Scottish Parliament's powers are limited and do not extend to the regulation of "medicines, medical supplies, and poisons" or of health professionals.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
The soil is packed with poisons, and massive dust storms obscure the sun for months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 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
In connection with the nearly universal use of insecticides that are liver poisons, it is interesting to note the sharp rise in hepatitis that began during the 1950’s and is continuing a fluctuating climb.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The coordinating agent then recruited poisoned agents for experiments that would terminate their runs, authorizing each with the words, “yes if you accept permadeath.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Today it is a symbol of a people who still seem poisoned and embittered by an attack that happened a quarter of a century ago.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Ceuta and Spain's other north African enclave, Melilla, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, and their status has historically poisoned relations between Madrid and Rabat.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Fifteen elephants found dead in southern Kenya outside the Amboseli National Park are suspected to have been poisoned by eating tomatoes that had been sprayed with pesticides on nearby farms.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He stood panting, his ear close to the panel, and a hysterical sickness poisoned him.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
It comes after the UK Health Security Agency declared a national outbreak of salmonella food poisoning after one person died and hundreds more fell ill.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Obviously, I don’t want a bajillion data centers poisoning the earth,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The staff’s “rebellion,” Ms. Rogoyska tells us, lay “not in poisoning the Germans’ soup but in keeping something hidden from their masters, right under their noses: the finest wine, and perhaps a few men, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Over that period, the laboratory received 274 samples connected to 201 suspected cases of either deliberate or accidental poisoning across the UK, Ireland, and Gibraltar.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
And the early stages of these fishes, even more than the adults, are especially susceptible to direct chemical poisoning.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
