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View synonyms for

toxin

[ tok-sin ]

noun

  1. any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.


toxin

/ ˈɒɪ /

noun

  1. any of various poisonous substances produced by microorganisms that stimulate the production of neutralizing substances (antitoxins) in the body See also endotoxin exotoxin
  2. any other poisonous substance of plant or animal origin
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

toxin

  1. A poisonous substance, especially one produced by a living organism. Toxins can be products or byproducts of ordinary metabolism, such as lactic acid, and they must be broken down or excreted before building up to dangerous levels. Toxins can facilitate survival, as with snake venom that kills or immobilizes prey, or cyanide produced by some plants as a defense against being eaten. Bacterial toxins can sometimes be neutralized with antitoxins.
  2. Compare antitoxin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of toxin1

First recorded in 1885–90; tox(ic) + -in 2
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Synonym Study

See poison.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

While the fires likely made things worse, it’s hard to know what toxins already existed in the soil.

From

He didn’t specifically mention vaccines during his appearance, but more than once he claimed that “someone is putting environmental toxins into ... our medicines.”

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The small fish aren’t affected by the toxins, but many seabirds and marine mammals that feed on these fish are, and the sickness can be deadly.

From

Misek said he published the case report to raise awareness about this deadly toxin in the U.S.

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"But in this particular bloom, we're seeing them really comatose and rather taken out by this toxin."

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toxigenictoxin-antitoxin