poison

CEFRB1

/ˈpɔɪ.zən/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A substance that can cause illness or death when swallowed or absorbed.

  2. 02

    verb

    To harm or kill someone with poison.

Examples

  • I got a rash from poison ivy.

  • If your child drinks poison, rush him to the hospital.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpoɪ.zən/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?")

  2. Anything harmful to a person or thing.

  3. A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.

More examples

In context

  • Some mushrooms contain a deadly poison.

  • We used a poison to kill the weeds.

  • Gossip is a malicious poison.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The detective found white powder in the victim's drink, which turned out to be a deadly blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter.