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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poison
National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.
—National Geographic, 10 Feb. 2020
Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2025
New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina poison control centers say calls for children that accidentally consume cannabis products are spiking.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Janine also faced a near-death experience earlier in Season 5 when Esther poisoned herself and Janine.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poison
Adjective
Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.
—National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.
—National Geographic, 10 Feb. 2020
Noun
Read Next National Wife poisons husband, killing him, Georgia cops say.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2025
New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina poison control centers say calls for children that accidentally consume cannabis products are spiking.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
Hours before that performance, as Ivy has a diva moment and Karen is incapacitated in a reformatting of the series’ poisoning plot line, Bombshell’s assistant director, Chloe (Bella Coppola), suddenly has to step up to play Marilyn, winning the love of the internet.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Janine also faced a near-death experience earlier in Season 5 when Esther poisoned herself and Janine.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
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The toxics killed fish and wildlife, closed beaches, and endangered environmentally sensitive areas.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2025
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In Colorado, the process to choose the five priority air toxics included consulting with multiple stakeholders.—
Jenni Shearston,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Apologies to the late John Lennon, but that song has been tainted for many. Need a break?—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
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The river is tainted with harmful toxins from industrial waste, trash and untreated sewage.—
Kimberly Dickson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Well, the nation’s most polluting coal plant, Montana’s Colstrip plant, has asked the EPA for an exemption, as the New York Times’ Hiroko Tabuchi reports.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Vyse's version is simpler and cheaper—estimated to add only a few cents more to the price of a drink—and avoids polluting gases.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Government lawyers argue that Meta's services have degraded in quality in part because of its dominant position in the marketplace.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2025
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According to the National Institutes of Health, ALS progressively degrades, then kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Francis’ Death Silences a Voice for the Voiceless As democratic values and alliances were being turned upside down, the pope was a consistent moral guidepost.—
Helene Cooper Jason Horowitz Claire Brown Maureen Cavanagh,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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But in his second term, Trump's aggressive trade policies and confrontational stance toward America's allies are threatening to turn that populist wave into a dangerous undertow.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Though gorgeous with color, azaleas are poisonous to animals and humans when ingested.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 Apr. 2025
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Every part of the pong pong tree is poisonous, but the leaves and barks aren’t as potent as the seeds.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Harmattan facilitates the spread of diseases, such as influenza.—
Christophe Lavaysse,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Apr. 2025
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However, in the U.S., the CDC has concluded there is no evidence that pesticides are effective in preventing these diseases and does not recommend this practice.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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