Meaning & use

pesticide

noun·Academic

A chemical substance used to kill insects, weeds, or other organisms that damage crops.

See it in a sentence

Farmers sprayed pesticide on the fields to protect the wheat from locusts.

Organic farms avoid synthetic pesticide and rely on natural methods to control pests.

A note on using this word

Pesticide is a broad term covering insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides; use the specific term when the target organism matters.

Words with a similar meaning

insecticide

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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