Synonyms

toxin

American

[tok-sin] / ˈtɒk sɪn /

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.

toxin British

/ 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

toxin Scientific

/ 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

Related Words

See poison.

Etymology

Origin of toxin

First recorded in 1885–90; tox(ic) + -in ²

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.

The company is recalling the product because it contains a toxin, called cereulide, which can cause vomiting.

From BBC

Further experiments showed that deleting the GDF3 gene reduced harmful inflammatory responses to bacterial toxins.

From Science Daily

French group Lactalis on Wednesday announced a recall of batches of infant formula in France and other countries including China, Australia and Mexico over worries they contained a toxin.

From Barron's

“I also want to just stress that there’s nothing, there’s no cooking of the mushroom or freezing of the mushroom that would inactivate the toxin,” Smollin said.

From Los Angeles Times

Soil testing “helps ensure the safety” of children, seniors, pregnant women and people with health issues who are “more vulnerable to soilborne toxins.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023