poisonpoison2 ●○○ verb [transitive] 
She was accused in 1974 of poisoning her second husband, Charles. He killed several people by poisoning their tea.poison somebody with something Helms attempted to poison his whole family with strychnine.2if a substance poisons someone, it makes them sick or kills them: Thousands of children were poisoned by radiation.3to make land, rivers, air etc dirty and dangerous, especially by the use of harmful chemicals: Pesticides are poisoning our rivers.4to have very harmful and unpleasant effects on someone’s mind, emotions, or a situation: Her childhood had been poisoned by an abusive stepfather. The law will only serve to poison relations between the US and Mexico. Television violence is poisoning the minds of young people.► see thesaurus at spoil5poisoned chalice an important job that someone is given, which is likely to cause them a lot of trouble—poisoner noun [countable]
VERB TABLE
poison
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | poison |
| he, she, it | poisons | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | poisoned |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have poisoned |
| he, she, it | has poisoned | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had poisoned |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will poison |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have poisoned |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am poisoning |
| he, she, it | is poisoning | |
| you, we, they | are poisoning | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was poisoning |
| you, we, they | were poisoning | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been poisoning |
| he, she, it | has been poisoning | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been poisoning |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be poisoning |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been poisoning |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A small amount of lead paint can severely poison a child.
- Chemical waste has poisoned the city's water supply.
- For over a year, Jane fought against the cancer that had poisoned her blood.
- He believed that somebody was trying to poison him.
- Hill poisoned her husband and daughter for the insurance money.
- Kendall believes that sex on TV is poisoning our children's minds.
- Our marriage was poisoned by mistrust, deceit and jealousy.
- Seabirds are being poisoned by toxins in the water.
- She had already poisoned three members of her own family with arsenic.
- Steven thought that someone had poisoned his food.
- He sacrificed the end, doubtful in any case at that time, be-cause bad means would poison it.
- In a short time, his appointment has come to look like a poisoned chalice.
- It ventured forth only to kill cattle or flatten crops, poisoning the air with its fetid breath.
- She plotted a new method to kill Snow White: with a poisoned comb.
- The yeast must be pure, or the stars would be poisoned.
- When they toasted, she exchanged her cup for his, and he drained the poisoned wine.
THESAURUS
to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc: · New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.· The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
to spoil something completely and permanently: · Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.· The argument ruined the evening for me.
written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable: · His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.· Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive: · The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.· There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve: · The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
to spoil a friendly relationship between people or countries: · The affair has soured relations between the UK and Russia.
to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other: · Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned: · If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.
Longman Language Activatorto kill someone to make someone die, especially deliberately or violently: · He claims that he didn't mean to kill his wife.· The police believe the man may kill again.· What the hell were you doing! You could have killed me!· Official sources say that 20 people were killed in last night's air raids.· My sixteen-year-old son Louis was killed by a drunk driver two years ago.
to deliberately kill someone, especially after planning to do it: · Wilson is accused of murdering his daughter and her boyfriend.· One of the country's top judges has been murdered by the Mafia.
to murder an important or famous person, especially for political reasons: · President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.· an attempt to assassinate the Pope
to kill someone by beating them, kicking them, or attacking them with a knife: · The court heard how the man was beaten to death by racist thugs.· A social worker was found stabbed to death in her office last night.· Smith had apparently been kicked to death.
to kill someone by putting a very harmful substance in their food or drink: · He believed that somebody was trying to poison him.· She had already poisoned three members of her own family with arsenic.
to kill someone by holding their face under water for a long time: · He accused his brother of trying to drown him.
to kill someone by pressing on their throat with both hands or with something such as a piece of string so that they cannot breathe: · Police said that the victim had been strangled.· He slid his hands around her neck and tried to strangle her.
informal to kill someone - often used humorously: bump off somebody/bump somebody off: · He kept marrying rich women and then bumping them off.have somebody bumped off (=arrange for someone to be killed): · His uncle decided to have him bumped off.
informal to kill someone, especially because they are a threat or their death would be convenient: · Perhaps his wife had taken the opportunity to do away with her rival.
to spoil a relationship or friendship · His jealousy spoiled their relationship, and she left him after a few months.· The assassination attempt has definitely spoilt the previously positive atmosphere between the opposing parties.
to spoil a friendly relationship between people, especially when this happens gradually: · The affair did not seem to have soured their friendship.· The global trend towards higher taxation on fuel consumption is souring relations with leading oil-producing states.· The incident was serious enough to sour the atmosphere for weeks.
to spoil a relationship, especially a close one, by causing a situation in which people can no longer trust each other: · Our marriage was poisoned by mistrust, deceit and jealousy.
to completely spoil a relationship or friendship: · I don't want this to destroy our friendship.· Her feelings of self-doubt had destroyed every relationship that she had ever had.
WORD SETSacid rain, nounbiohazard, nounbottle bank, nouncatalytic converter, nounclean-up, nounconservancy, nounconservation, nounconservation area, nounconservationist, nounconserve, verbcontaminant, nouncontaminate, verbeco-, prefixeco-friendly, adjectiveecological, adjectiveecologist, nounecology, nounecosystem, nouneffluent, nounenvironmental, adjectiveenvironmentalist, nounenvironmentally friendly, adjectiveglobal warming, noungreen, verbgreenhouse effect, noungreenhouse gas, noungreen revolution, nounhabitat, nounnational park, nounnoise pollution, nounozone, nounozone-friendly, adjectiveparticulates, nounpoison, verbpollute, verbradioactive waste, nounradioactivity, nounrecyclable, adjectiverecycle, verbrecycling, nounreforestation, nounsewage, nounsewage works, nounsmog, nounsulphur dioxide, nountip, nountoxic waste, nounwaste disposal, nounwaste product, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Television violence is poisoning the minds of young people.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a case of salmonella poisoningCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
1to give someone poison, especially by adding it to their food or drink, in order to harm or kill them: Television violence is poisoning the minds of young people. a case of salmonella poisoning· I didn't have time to get paranoid about blood poisoning as my heart suddenly stopped beating.· A report from a consultant pathologist said the cause of Mrs Colbert's death was blood poisoning due to burns.
· Usually the organism is helpful, but some strains have been incriminated in widespread cases of food poisoning and even of meningitis.· The drumbeat of the Gingrich case had poisoned the atmosphere in the House for weeks.· There were 118 reported cases of food poisoning in Uttlesford last year.· The death is the first confirmed case of poisoning of a kite in Yorkshire but follows similar cases elsewhere.
· Very few food poisoning bacteria grow if they are colder than 5°C and they are killed if heated above 63°C.· But you and I always will be the final defense against food poisoning for ourselves, our families and our friends.· Food producers do their best to make sure that food is not contaminated with any food poisoning organisms.· I told her you had a nasty case of stomach flu and the doctor thought it was probably food poisoning.· Our Gillian got terrible food poisoning off strange tablet at a Garden Fete once.· A touch of food poisoning. said Heloise to Abelard.· Some 640 people suffered illness as a result of food poisoning in the outbreak.· Four years ago, Johnson contracted food poisoning prior to the Olympics, the illness sapping his strength and ruining his conditioning.
· Swans suffer from lead poisoning that comes from anglers' weights.· Some historians consider lead poisoning a major cause of the fall of the Roman Empire.· There was the woman whose daughter was exhibiting signs of lead poisoning.
· I blame myself for looking on and allowing you to poison their minds.· Well, it takes a poisoner to introduce the poisoned mind to manhood.· He knows his ex-wife is poisoning the boy's mind.· The alien contamination has poisoned his mind.
· The woman, it seems, has cut eggs from her diet for fear of possible salmonella poisoning.· She said that it was possible to contract salmonella poisoning and hepatitis from the clams, but no cases had been documented.
· The prime minister, Pascoal Mocumbi, said the cause may have been food poisoning, lack of water, or suffocation.· Nicasio gave Cecilia poisoned water, believing she would reveal his perfidious acts.· Fumigation will also poison water, food and soil.· I don't know if any of them could be bribed to poison the water.· The Myndie Snake would find them and drip venom upon them, poisoning the water and burning them where they hid.· Led by a madman, the humans have been poisoning the water supply.
· They had been drinking out of poisoned wells for days.
VERB· More people now die of pesticide poisoning in Sri Lanka than from certain important diseases, including malaria.· A postmortem examination report showed he died from poisoning by carbon monoxide due to inhalation of fumes.· I then expect I will be tortured, and if they see I don't die they will poison me.
· No soldiers showed clear symptoms of gas poisoning.
· Yes, I am always hopelessly trying to poison myself against her.· Maybe that was why he was trying to poison Elinor?· For a moment he could not quite think why he was trying to poison Elinor.· Slowly and deliberately, Fagin was trying to poison the young boy's mind.
She was accused in 1974 of poisoning her second husband, Charles. He killed several people by poisoning their tea.poison somebody with something Helms attempted to poison his whole family with strychnine.2if a substance poisons someone, it makes them sick or kills them: Thousands of children were poisoned by radiation.3to make land, rivers, air etc dirty and dangerous, especially by the use of harmful chemicals: Pesticides are poisoning our rivers.4to have very harmful and unpleasant effects on someone’s mind, emotions, or a situation: Her childhood had been poisoned by an abusive stepfather. The law will only serve to poison relations between the US and Mexico. Television violence is poisoning the minds of young people.► see thesaurus at spoil5poisoned chalice an important job that someone is given, which is likely to cause them a lot of trouble—poisoner noun [countable]