poisonnoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˈpɔɪ.zən/us/ˈpɔɪ.zən/B2 a substance that can make people or animals ill or kill them if they eat or drink it:
The pest control officer put bowls of rat poison in the attic.
Her drink had been laced with a deadly poison.
More examples
- Bottles of lemonade doctored with rat poison were discovered in the kitchen.
- Forensic examination revealed a large quantity of poison in the dead man's stomach.
- The giraffe was killed with a spear that had been tipped with poison.
- Arsenic is a deadly poison that takes immediate effect.
- a phial of poison
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Poisoning and allergy
- allergy
- delirium tremens
- hypersensitivity
- hypoallergenic
- intolerance
- lactose intolerance
- lead poisoning
- listeriosis
- poisoner
- poisonous
- reaction
- ricin
- salmonella
- strychnine
- the DTs
- toxic
- toxicity
- toxicology
- toxin
- trigger food
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Idiom(s)
name your poison
poisonverb [ T ]
uk/ˈpɔɪ.zən/us/ˈpɔɪ.zən/poison verb [ T ] (ADD SUBSTANCE)
B2 to kill a person or animal or to make them very ill by giving them poison:
Four members of the family had been poisoned, but not fatally.
B2 to put poison in someone's food or drink:
He said that someone had poisoned his coffee.
B2 to add dangerous chemicals or other harmful substances to something such as water or air:
The chemical leak had poisoned the water supply.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Poisoning and allergy
- allergy
- delirium tremens
- hypersensitivity
- hypoallergenic
- intolerance
- lactose intolerance
- lead poisoning
- listeriosis
- poisoner
- poisonous
- reaction
- ricin
- salmonella
- strychnine
- the DTs
- toxic
- toxicity
- toxicology
- toxin
- trigger food
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Killing
Murder & attempted murder
Environmental issues
poison verb [ T ] (SPOIL)
to spoil a friendship or another situation, by making it very unpleasant:
The long dispute has poisoned relations between the two countries.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging and spoiling
- adulterate
- alloy
- at the expense of sb idiom
- at-risk
- bandh
- bang up sb/sth
- foul
- gild the lily idiom
- gloss
- gnaw
- gnaw away at sth
- go west idiom
- goonda
- ravages
- ruin
- scourge
- shatter
- shoot sth up
- sour
- tell on sb
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Idiom(s)
poison sb's mind