as in poisoned
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
the witch gave Snow White a poison apple
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in toxic
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
the only way to get rid of rats is to leave out poison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
poisoning the minds of impressionable children with ethnic hatred
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
exhaust fumes poisoning the air
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
this party partisanship poisons the national debate we should be having about this urgent problem
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of poison
Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.
—Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Officials will continue to investigate the area for further evidence of poison bait, and also stressed the importance of the community's cooperation to discourage and prevent the use of poison baits against wildlife.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
British officials later announced that the Skripals had apparently been poisoned with Novichok, a group of deadly nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and ’80s and designed to be especially lethal and largely undetectable.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poison
Adjective
Michelle spins a long and complicated tale, but insists Teddy was wrong about the Andromedans trying to infiltrate and poison humanity.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.
—Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Ingesting rat poison could lead to bleeding gums and nosebleeds as well as bruising and blood in the stool.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Officials will continue to investigate the area for further evidence of poison bait, and also stressed the importance of the community's cooperation to discourage and prevent the use of poison baits against wildlife.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
Had Otello understood that all the world is a joke, as Falstaff startlingly reveals at the end of the opera, Iago would never have been able to poison Otello’s susceptible frail ego with his ridiculous tales of handkerchiefs and what-not.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
British officials later announced that the Skripals had apparently been poisoned with Novichok, a group of deadly nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and ’80s and designed to be especially lethal and largely undetectable.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
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Manufacturers should be diligently working to clean up their supply chains and manufacturing practices to ensure their products are free of PFAS and other toxics.—
Sarah Todd,
STAT,
1 May 2026
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Taking supporting women’s wrongs—and rights—to new levels, everyone’s favorite toxic on-screen Girl Boss duo are back for a fourth season of Industry: Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani.—
Chloe Laws,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An expert who spoke to New York magazine estimated that about 30 percent of the peptides tested for clients were contaminated or otherwise tainted.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
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Court exhibit But that, too, Casteleiro argued, was tainted.—
Mary Murphy,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
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As of last April, the state environmental agency was also lagging behind on inspections of polluting facilities, according to the audit.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In applications like data centers, where batteries may cycle multiple times a day, lithium-ion systems degrade relatively quickly.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Corning's optical solutions ensure that the data being sent between servers doesn't degrade — a risk with the copper wires used historically before the era of agentic AI computing.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
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This was supposed to be the breakthrough; the moment the Magic finally turned the corner after years of rebuilding, retooling and resetting.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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Many people have turned a living room or office into a temporary bedroom to avoid stairs while healing.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Hydrangeas are poisonous to dogs and cats.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 May 2026
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Restoring the balance of the humors through profusely bleeding the patient or inducing vomiting or diarrhea with the poisonous plant hellebore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hantavirus disease is considered rare, with 890 cases reported in the United States between 1993 and 2023.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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In 2024, for example, more than 700 newborns died from spontaneous bleeding in their brains, which could have been complicated by liver disease or prematurity.—
Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Waves of silicon, metal, and concrete would spoil views of Sardinia’s stunning beaches, rugged mountains, ancient pastures, and idyllic medieval villages, after all.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
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Composers Matt Bowen and Christopher Lennertz won’t spoil what’s ahead but say their music will only get bigger.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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