noun
poison
POY-zuhn
noun
1
A substance that can injure or kill a living thing if it enters the body.
"The farmer kept the rat poison locked away from the children."
"Certain mushrooms contain poison that attacks the liver."
2
Anything that causes serious harm, especially to a relationship, situation, or reputation.
"Gossip is poison to any team's morale."
verb
1
To harm or kill using poison.
"The killer poisoned his victim's drink."
2
To corrupt or ruin something, or to turn someone against another person.
"His constant complaints poisoned the whole team's attitude."
"She tried to poison her friends against him with lies."
How to Use Poison
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething that harms or kills if taken in, or figuratively something that damages a situation or relationship.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
deadly poison
poison someone's mind
slow poison
Word Forms
poisoned past tense, poisons plural, poisons singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “poison”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The farmer kept the rat _____ locked away from the children.
Etymology
From Old French poison, from Latin potio, "a drink" — originally just meant "a drink" or "potion" before narrowing to mean a harmful one.