POISON

[verb] [T]To poison a person or animal is to kill them or make them very ill by giving them poison.Four members of the family had been poisoned, but not fatally.Hundreds of wild animals had been poisoned by the insecticide sprays.If you poison someone's food or drink, you put poison in it.He said that someone had poisoned his coffee.If something such as water or air has been poisoned, dangerous chemicals or other harmful substances have been added to it.The chemical leak had poisoned the water supply.If you poison a friendship or another situation, you spoil it by making it very unpleasant.The long dispute has poisoned relations between the two countries.(disapproving) If you poison someone's mind against someone else, you make them believe unpleasant things about the other person which are not true.Don't believe a word she says about me - she's just trying to poison your mind against me.A poisoned chalice is something which seems very good when it is first received, but which in fact does great harm to the person who receives it.The leadership of the party turned out to be a poisoned chalice.