1
a
: a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism
b(1)
: something destructive or harmful
(2)
: an object of aversion or abhorrence
2
: a substance that inhibits the activity of another substance or the course of a reaction or process
a catalyst poison
poisoned; poisoning
ˈpȯiz-niŋ 
ˈpȯi-zᵊn-iŋ
1
a
: to injure or kill with poison
b
: to treat, taint, or impregnate with or as if with poison
2
: to exert a baneful influence on : corrupt
poisoned their minds
3
: to inhibit the activity, course, or occurrence of
on the night when he poisoned my rest—
Charles Dickens
Charles DickensSynonyms
Examples of poison in a Sentence
Noun
a jar of rat poison
The killer gave her victims food laced with poison.
suck poison from a snake bite
The villain in the play dies by drinking a vial of poison.
Poverty is a poison to society.
Verb
How did the murderer poison the victim?
Hundreds were poisoned from drinking the contaminated water.
He was poisoned with cyanide.
The factory poisoned the air with its fumes.
Illegal dumping of waste is poisoning the stream and killing fish.
He poisoned their minds with hatred for her.
His angry outburst poisoned the atmosphere of the party.
Adjective
the witch gave Snow White a poison apple
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Some also had baggies of white powder taped to the back and a crude message that indicated the substance was poison, documents said.
—Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 29 Oct. 2024
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
And subsequent research has suggested most of those who were poisoned had been drinking this bootleg alcohol for pleasure or escape, not protection from COVID-19.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2020
Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.
—National Geographic, 10 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for poison 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Schwarzenegger is proof that the Republican label doesn’t have to be poison in California.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Some also had baggies of white powder taped to the back and a crude message that indicated the substance was poison, documents said.
—Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
The salty water slowly poisons living trees, leaving a haunted ghost forest of dead and dying timber.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
And subsequent research has suggested most of those who were poisoned had been drinking this bootleg alcohol for pleasure or escape, not protection from COVID-19.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for poison
Dictionary Entries Near poison
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poison. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poison
1 of 3 noun
poi·son
ˈpȯiz-ən
1
: a substance that by its chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
2
: something destructive or harmful
poison
3 of 3 adjective
: poisonous
a poison plant
Etymology
Noun
Middle English poison "poison, a poisonous drink," from early French poison "drink, potion, poison," from Latin potion-, potio "a drink, potion" — related to potion
Medical Definition
poison
1 of 3 noun
poi·son
ˈpȯiz-ᵊn
1
: a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism
2
: a substance that inhibits the activity of another substance or the course of a reaction or process
a catalyst poison
poison
2 of 3 transitive verb
poisoned; poisoning
ˈpȯiz-niŋ, -ᵊn-iŋ
1
: to injure or kill with poison
2
: to treat, taint, or impregnate with poison
poison
3 of 3 adjective1
: poisonous
a poison plant
2
: impregnated with poison
a poison arrow
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