toxin

[ tok-sin ]

See synonyms for: toxin toxins on Thesaurus.com

noun

any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.

Origin of toxin

First recorded in 1885–90; tox(ic) + -in²

synonym study For toxin

See poison.

See also antitoxin, endotoxin, exotoxin, phytotoxin, venom.

Words that may be confused with toxin

toxic, toxin

Words Nearby toxin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use toxin in a sentence

Most of these medicines are based on toxins that are detectable in venom.
Rattlesnake venom is lethal, but understanding it could save lives | Kate Baggaley | January 25, 2021 | Popular-Science
The research team discovered that stinging tree toxins are made of 36 amino acids.
Please do not touch the Australian stinging tree | Rebecca E. Hirsch | November 25, 2020 | Science News For Students
Chronic kidney diseaseChronic kidney disease is when your kidneys, which normally filter wastes, toxins, and excess fluid out of your blood, can no longer get the job done.
All the conditions we know increase your risk of dying from COVID-19 | Sara Kiley Watson | October 2, 2020 | Popular-Science
Other brand names for similar toxins include Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau.
Can you get too much Botox? | By Matthew J. Lin/The Conversation | October 1, 2020 | Popular-Science
Veterinary scientists have confirmed that a bacterial toxin other scientists say is thriving more because of warming temperatures in water bodies as a result of climate change is the cause of massive elephant deaths in Botswana this year.
Scientists blame climate change for bacteria that caused the mysterious deaths of 300 African elephants | Tawanda Karombo | September 21, 2020 | Quartz

In this understanding, art is like a medicine or a toxin, transforming its audience for good or ill.
The Insane Swedish Plan to Rate Games for Sexism | Nick Gillespie | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In fact Botulinum toxin is a lethal substance that can cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces | Emma Woolf | May 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The same toxin that causes this “pseudomembrane” to form can also damage organs like the heart and kidneys.
Thanks to Anti-Vaxxers, Mumps Are Back. What’s Next? | Russell Saunders | March 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Though she has clarified that she “and the autism community” are not anti-vaccine per se, they are “anti-toxin and anti-schedule.”
Twitter Crushes Anti-Vaccination Queen Jenny McCarthy | The Daily Beast | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It presumes “that art is an instrument like medicine or a toxin that can be injected into us and transform us.”
16 and Abstinent? | Nick Gillespie | January 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It does, however, unite with the toxin or poison given off by the germs and renders it entirely harmless.
A Civic Biology | George William Hunter
The severe cramp from which athletes are liable to suffer is due to an accumulation of this toxin.
Nervous Breakdowns and How to Avoid Them | Charles David Musgrove
Get out bandages, have hot water, make the hypodermics ready and mix some strong morphia and anti-toxin solution.
The Blind Lion of the Congo | Elliott Whitney
This "control" then serves to demonstrate the freedom of the toxin from living bacteria.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry Eyre
We encourage the enterprising doctor in his giddy chase after the nimble dollar, as he produces anti-toxin serums to order.
Nuggets of the New Thought | William Walker Atkinson,

British Dictionary definitions for toxin

toxin

/ (ˈtɒksɪn) /

noun

any of various poisonous substances produced by microorganisms that stimulate the production of neutralizing substances (antitoxins) in the body: See also endotoxin, exotoxin
any other poisonous substance of plant or animal origin

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

Scientific definitions for toxin

toxin

[ tŏk′sĭn ]

A poisonous substance, especially one produced by a living organism. Toxins can be products or byproducts of ordinary metabolism, such as lactic acid, and they must be broken down or excreted before building up to dangerous levels. Toxins can facilitate survival, as with snake venom that kills or immobilizes prey, or cyanide produced by some plants as a defense against being eaten. Bacterial toxins can sometimes be neutralized with antitoxins. Compare antitoxin.

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