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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 In 1992, John Eng, who had been studying the venom of Gila monsters for years, discovered a new peptide called exendin-4 that acted like GLP-1 in the body. — Bo Evans, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Sometimes there’s a real venom to the way people put you under microscopes. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 The report also details cases on research into orthopoxviruses – a group that includes variola, which causes smallpox, and mpox – as well as venom toxins. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 If someone is bitten, please don’t try to cut the wound or suck out the venom. — Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 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
  • The first image from the episode (see it above) shows Butters in what appears to be his backyard with the X-Pest exterminator guy, who has strapped on his tank of poison and has his sprayer wand at the ready.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The clues that Swift’s ghost is leaving for Johnson still aren’t really hitting until Johnson’s character starts feeling the effects of the literal poison being fed to her in her coffee and wine and realizes this man may be bad.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • Kingston Bradley of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and malice murder in connection with Mosley’s death.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Stacey Humphreys, 53, was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown in an Atlanta suburb.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 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
  • With their feelings for each other blossoming, the two go out for dinner, which is full of Rushville patrons with lingering hatred for Hal.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Yasmin Soares, a Lula supporter, told Kahn that Bolsonaro's strong performance is scary and that the right brings hatred.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are difficult to study, in part because diagnosing the disease early in people is challenging.
    — Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Younger demographics are being diagnosed with increasing cases of colon cancer, and people of color face disproportionately higher mortality rates from the disease.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • But these same tools could be used to make toxins or alter the behavior of viral proteins.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Your Bowel Movements Help Remove Toxins The nutrients in pears support healthy bowel movements by keeping stools soft, which also encourages the removal of toxins by flushing out the digestive system.
    — Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of toxin

Browse Nearby Words

venial
venom
venomous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Venom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venom. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on venom

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about venom

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All