poison pill

noun

: a financial tactic or provision used by a company to make an unwanted takeover prohibitively expensive or less desirable

Examples of poison pill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With no poison pills or unrelated riders—the bill is simple: extend funding and certainty for the nation. — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 For a school hoping to educate 20 students, this was a poison pill. — Michael McShane, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 Just getting to a salary match on Butler’s $48 million deal is tricky, given that Jalen Green’s extension has a poison pill provision and trading VanVleet would leave the team without a point guard. — Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025 Lewin slipped the poison pill into her mouth, but the assailants choked her and removed the capsule. — Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for poison pill

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poison pill was in 1983

Rhymes for poison pill

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“Poison pill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poison%20pill. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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Legal Definition

poison pill

noun
poi·​son pill
: a financial tactic or provision used by a company to make an unwanted takeover prohibitively expensive or less desirable
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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