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
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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
Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025
The poison can be taken by mouth, breathed in or mixed as a solution and injected into the vein.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2025
Closing Thoughts As Adam Smith observed, science is the antidote to enthusiasm and superstition — yet it must be wielded responsibly to avoid becoming poison itself.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 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
Dillard cited recent increases in calls to poison control centers involving psychedelics and youth overdoses as reasons for more regulation.
—Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025
The poison can be taken by mouth, breathed in or mixed as a solution and injected into the vein.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
Once trapped, the crawlers can be fed gibberish data, aka Markov babble, which is designed to poison AI models.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2025
Closing Thoughts As Adam Smith observed, science is the antidote to enthusiasm and superstition — yet it must be wielded responsibly to avoid becoming poison itself.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for poison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poison
Noun
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What these arguments fail to understand is that DEI protections were put in place for certain groups because of historically discriminatory hiring practices and to course-correct toxic, racist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, and sexist workplaces.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
refinery29.com,
30 Jan. 2025
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This strategy has amplified his visibility but has also drawn criticism for aligning with internet personalities accused of toxic and, for some, abusive behaviors.—
Kia Turner,
refinery29.com,
28 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Digital evidence may have been tainted after it was removed from the crime scene by prominent Pennsylvania Judge James Schwartzman, the uncle of Greenberg's fiancé.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
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Crew and passenger behavior, breadth of activities, weather, operations — these are just some of the things that can taint love when on an ocean or river cruise.—
David Dickstein,
Orange County Register,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Expanding outdated, polluting infrastructure exacerbates climate change and threatens our future.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
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Aside from the methane smell that permeates the area around the landfill and the dust that pollutes our air, the decaying trash is most certainly leaching into the Biscayne Aquifer, the source of our drinking water.—
Jacqueline Railey,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
To strip her name from her and contort it into a term that is most often used to degrade artists who look like her is simply dehumanizing.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
11 Feb. 2025
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Topaz Labs View 1 Images Topaz Labs, which makes powerful photo and video enhancement software, just showed off a new AI model that automatically enhances old footage, from your home video collection to archival content that may have degraded over time on traditional media.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Travis Kelce consoled by Taylor Swift as retirement rumors swirl ➤ Chiefs' run at Super Bowl history turns into epic embarrassment: The blowout loss to the Eagles means no team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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The Trump administration, on its own, could encourage states to add work requirements or turn their federal subsidies into block grants.—
Ryan Levi,
NPR,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps even more interestingly, the bark and leaves of the Sambucus nigra are considered poisonous; the berries themselves must be cooked before consuming.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2025
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There is poisonous and lame political commentary all around us, and then there’s the work of Joy Reid.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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How long that takes depends on the course of the disease and farmer operations.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2025
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Show creator Samantha Strauss said the character of Lucy was important to depict what a lot of people feel when fighting a disease: not listened to, not in control and not acknowledged as a full person.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN,
16 Feb. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near poison
Cite this Entry
“Poison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poison. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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