toxin

/ˈtɒksɪn/

noun

  1. a poisonous substance produced by living things, especially bacteria, plants, or animals

    B2

    countable/uncountableformal

    • "Some bacteria produce toxins that can make people very sick."B2
    • "The doctor explained that the toxin had entered his bloodstream."C1
    • "Certain frogs release toxins through their skin to protect themselves from predators."C2
    • "The bacteria release a powerful toxin that can paralyze the nervous system."B2
    • "Venom from a snake is a complex mixture of toxins."A2

Common mistakes

  • The toxin from the spider bit him.→The toxin from the spider's bite affected him.

    Use "toxin" not "venom" for non-injected poisons, but spiders inject venom.

Collocations

toxin levelstoxin removaltoxin exposurefood toxinbacterial toxinrelease a toxinchemical toxinnatural toxinproduce toxins

Word family

toxictoxicitydetoxifydetoxificationtoxicologyantitoxin