poison pill

noun

: a financial tactic or provision used by a company to make an unwanted takeover prohibitively expensive or less desirable

Examples of poison pill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jovic’s poison pill that complicates a trade disappears July 1. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026 Trump’s demand to include China is almost certainly a poison pill meant to stop any progress on renewing the existing treaty. Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026 But passing it is a poison pill as well. Ashish Valentine, NPR, 22 Jan. 2026 The poison pill, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, said if Parsons was traded to any team in the NFC East, then the Packers would owe the Cowboys an additional first round pick in 2028. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for poison pill

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poison pill was in 1983

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poison pill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poison%20pill. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Legal Definition

poison pill

noun
poi·​son pill
: a financial tactic or provision used by a company to make an unwanted takeover prohibitively expensive or less desirable
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster