poisons

8 definitions • 13 examples

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.

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.

to put poison in someone's food or drink:

He said that someone had poisoned his coffee.

to add dangerous chemicals or other harmful substances to something such as water or air:

The chemical leak had poisoned the water supply.

to spoil a friendship or another situation, by making it very unpleasant:

The long dispute has poisoned relations between the two countries.

a substance that causes illness or death if swallowed, absorbed, or breathed into the body:

[ U ] poison gas

[ C ] Some cleaning products are poisons.

[ U ] He sprayed the weeds with poison.

to cause serious harm to something:

Jealousy poisoned our relationship.

I don’t see why you think TV poisons people’s minds (= influences them in a bad way).

to cause a person or animal to take in poison, or to add poison to food or a liquid:

He thinks someone is trying to poison him.

Her tea was poisoned.