toxin

toxin — noun

1. a harmful chemical that a living thing (such as a bacterium, plant, or animal) p

1.nounB2
Definition

a harmful chemical that a living thing (such as a bacterium, plant, or animal) produces, and that can damage the body or cause disease

Example

Bacterial toxins enter the body through contaminated food or water.

collocation: bacterial toxins

The scientist detected a rare toxin in the local river near the factory.

collocation: detect a toxin

Common collocations
  • produce a toxin
  • release a toxin
  • contain a toxin
  • remove toxins
  • bacterial toxins
  • plant toxins
  • dangerous toxin
  • harmful toxin
  • toxin levels
  • toxin in the body
Synonyms
  • poison

    broader term; toxin specifically refers to poisons produced by living organisms

  • venom

    a toxin that animals (such as snakes or spiders) inject into another creature

  • contaminant

    a substance that makes something impure; not necessarily poisonous

Antonyms
  • antidote

    a substance that stops a toxin from working

Grammar Patterns

toxin + verb (produces, causes)

toxin + preposition (in, from)

Usage Note

Common in medical and scientific writing. The plural form (toxins) is frequently used when referring to multiple types or sources.

Common Mistakes

The factory released toxic into the river.
The factory released toxins into the river.
Toxic is an adjective; toxin is the noun form.

Word family

  • toxic
    adjectiveB2
  • toxicity
    nounC1
  • toxically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Toxin, poison, and venom all refer to substances that can harm a living body, but they differ in origin and delivery. A toxin is a poison produced by a living organism (bacteria, plants, fungi) — it can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Poison is the broadest term: it includes toxins as well as synthetic chemicals (rat poison, cleaning products). Venom is a subtype of toxin that an animal actively injects through a bite or sting (snakes, spiders, scorpions). For example: "The mushroom contains a toxin that damages the liver." "Some cleaning products contain poisons that are dangerous to children." "The snake's venom acts quickly on the nervous system."

poison ↗venomtoxin ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word toxin was created in the late 1800s from the word toxic, which goes back through French and Latin to the Greek word toxikon, referring to poison used on arrows (from toxon 'bow').