as in poisoned
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
some evil person was leaving out poisonous meat for neighborhood dogs to eat
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Recent Examples of poisonous
If touched, the toad’s poisonous glands emit toxins that can be rapidly absorbed in your dog’s bloodstream and kill her quickly.
—
Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
While every season is different depending on the location, some of the past challenges have included walking across a tightrope over a cliff, rescuing themselves from a sinking car and invading a crate filled with poisonous gases and chemicals.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Radioactive waste from the former ComEd Nuclear Generating Station in Zion yards from the shoreline doesn’t need another poisonous lakefront companion with the potential to taint Lake Michigan.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
Rat poison often contains dye to identify it as poisonous, officials said, but the dye does not always show up in the animal’s tissue.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
While every season is different depending on the location, some of the past challenges have included walking across a tightrope over a cliff, rescuing themselves from a sinking car and invading a crate filled with poisonous gases and chemicals.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Radioactive waste from the former ComEd Nuclear Generating Station in Zion yards from the shoreline doesn’t need another poisonous lakefront companion with the potential to taint Lake Michigan.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
Rat poison often contains dye to identify it as poisonous, officials said, but the dye does not always show up in the animal’s tissue.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
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Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
28 Feb. 2020
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Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
10 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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Lead is highly regulated today, but that wasn’t always the case for the toxic heavy metal.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
21 Aug. 2025
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An internal investigation by the company — just a single page buried in thousands of pages of state records — shows at least one toxic chemical spill has already occurred in the plant.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Guests will learn to identify the most common snakes in Arkansas, including venomous ones.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Aug. 2025
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The University of Kentucky says the main types of venomous snakes found in the commonwealth are copperheads, pigmy rattlesnakes, timber rattlesnakes and western cottonmouths.—
Marina Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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