Poison
'pɔɪzən
Definitions
2 meaningsA substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.
'pɔɪzən
A substance that can cause illness or death when introduced into the body.
The detective suspected the victim had been poisoned.
💡 Simply: Imagine a bad-tasting substance that, if you ate it, would make you very sick or even worse. Like if you drank something that someone put poison in.
👶 For kids: Something bad that can hurt or kill you if you eat it or touch it.
More Examples
Be careful with the cleaning supplies; they contain poison.
The plant is known to have a poison in its leaves that is dangerous to humans.
How It's Used
"The doctor advised against accidental poison ingestion."
"Snake venom is a potent poison."
To administer poison to, to kill or harm with poison.
'pɔɪzən
To administer poison to (a person or animal).
The villain planned to poison the hero's drink.
💡 Simply: To add a harmful substance to something, with the intention of hurting someone or something. Imagine you want to hurt someone and put something in their food.
👶 For kids: To make something dangerous or to hurt someone by giving them bad stuff.
More Examples
The city's water supply was poisoned by industrial waste.
His hateful words poisoned her opinion of him.
How It's Used
"The spy attempted to poison the king's food."
"His words poisoned the atmosphere of the meeting."
Idioms & expressions
poison the well
To discredit or undermine someone's argument or reputation by attacking them or introducing negative information before they can speak.
"Before the debate even started, his opponent tried to poison the well by spreading rumors about his past."
From Old French *poison*, from Latin *potio* 'a drink, potion'. The word entered English in the 13th century.
Used throughout history to refer to substances causing harm or death. Frequently referenced in literature and historical accounts of assassinations and warfare.
Memory tip
Think of a substance that could "point" to your death.
Word Origin
"a drink, potion"