venom

noun

ˈve-nəm How to pronounce venom (audio)
Definition of venomnext
1
as in poison
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing an antidote to snake venom

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm a neighborhood gossip of such venom that she was feared by all and genuinely liked by no one

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of venom Spiders, for instance, have muscles surrounding their venom glands, which contract and eject venom through hollow fangs. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026 During a downward stroke, a valve expands against the chamber walls, forming a seal and acting like a piston to force venom towards the exit. — Mike McRae 12, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026 The story begins in 1990, when John Eng, an endocrinologist at the Veterans Administration, isolated a peptide from the venom of Gila monsters, the nearly two-foot-long lizards native to the Southwest. — Dr. Bowman Heiden, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 However, the brown recluse and black widow spiders do have dangerous venom. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for venom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venom
  1. poison
  2. malice
  3. toxic
  4. hatred
  5. disease
  6. toxin
Noun
  • My grandson, five years old, was told by his parents that alcohol is poison.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Along with the murder charge, Von Ferdinand faces special circumstance allegations of killing Jett for financial gain and administering poison, Stephan said.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • The Court finds Defendant could not have responded to these instances of 'actual malice' in the First Amended Complaint, as they were not framed as such.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • In late May, about 50,000 people in Orange County were evacuated because, at a Garden Grove site operated by GKN Aerospace, tanks holding a volatile hazardous chemical called methyl methacrylate were at risk of exploding or leaking toxics.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Munoz is an independent toxicologist working in collaboration with MAHA against pesticides and toxics.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of toxic
Noun
  • The rioters waved the Confederate flag, a clear symbol of racist hatred.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • At least one person was killed and four people were injured in a shooting near Paris that may have been motivated by Islamophobic hatred, French officials say.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • Depending on the species, that could mean breeding animals in captivity and releasing them, restoring habitat, managing disease, or controlling invasive species.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Beeswax, honey, and pollen each possess their own particular antimicrobial and chemical properties that, taken together, repel disease and encourage helpful fungi.
    — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • The study continued that natural selection, genetic drift, and recombination biases shape the evolution of nonribosomal peptides, a class of compounds used in antibiotics such as penicillin, as well as toxins.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • While the giant fungus has not been tested for toxins, some locals had even tasted it and reported no ill effects, said study coauthor Indunil Senanayake, an associate professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany in China.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of toxin

Browse Nearby Words

venial
venom
venomous
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Cite this Entry

“Venom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venom. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on venom

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about venom

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