Poison vs. Venom

Main Difference

The main difference between poison and venom is that poison must be inhaled, absorbed, or injected to enter the bloodstream, whereas venom enters the bloodstream through a bite or sting.

Poison vs. Venom — Is There a Difference?
ADVERTISEMENT

Difference Between Poison and Venom

Poison vs. Venom

The poison must be inhaled, absorbed, or injected to enter the bloodstream, whereas venom enters the bloodstream through a bite or sting.

Poison vs. Venom

In the animal kingdom, poison is normally defensive, used by prey as a defense against predators, while venom is normally violent, used to kill prey by their predators.

Poison vs. Venom

Animals with poison don’t have any control whether they poison us or not if we pick them up or eat them; on the contrary, animals with venom have to choose to attack and inject venom by biting and stinging.

Poison vs. Venom

A poisonous animal is deadly when its poison is ingested such as if we inhale, swallow, or touch it; on the other hand, a venomous animal only hurt its victims with its venom by actively injecting its venom under the skin of its victim and from this way poison finds its way into its bloodstream and becomes fatal.

Poison vs. Venom

Both poison and venom cause reaction, going from mild irritation to death.

Poison vs. Venom

Both poison and venom inflict pain or illness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Poison vs. Venom

The delivery method of poison is absorption or ingestion; conversely, venom only delivers by injection.

Poison vs. Venom

Poison is present in the form of gas, fluid, or some solid; on the other hand, venom is present in the form of fluid.

Poisonnoun

A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism.

We used a poison to kill the weeds.

Venomnoun

A poison carried by an animal, usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging.

Poisonnoun

Something that harms a person or thing.

Gossip is a malicious poison.

Venomnoun

(figuratively) Feeling or speech marked by spite or malice.

ADVERTISEMENT

Poisonnoun

(informal) A drink; liquor.

— What's your poison?— I'll have a glass of whisky.

Venomverb

(obsolete) To infect with venom; to envenom; to poison.

Poisonverb

(transitive) To use poison to kill or paralyse somebody

The assassin poisoned the king.

Venomadjective

(obsolete) Poisonous, poisoned; (figuratively) pernicious.

Poisonverb

(transitive) To pollute; to cause some part of the environment to become poisonous

That factory is poisoning the river.

Venomnoun

toxin secreted by animals; secreted by certain snakes and poisonous insects (e.g., spiders and scorpions)

Poisonverb

(transitive) To cause something to become much worse

Suspicion will poison their relationship.He poisoned the mood in the room with his non-stop criticism.

Venomnoun

feeling a need to see others suffer

Poisonverb

(transitive) To cause someone to hate or to have unfair negative opinions

She's poisoned him against all his old friends.

Poisonnoun

any substance that causes injury or illness or death of a living organism

Poisonnoun

anything that harms or destroys;

the poison of fascism

Poisonverb

spoil as if by poison;

poison someone's mindpoison the atmosphere in the office

Poisonverb

kill by its poison;

This mushrooms can kill

Poisonverb

kill with poison;

She poisoned her husband

Poisonverb

add poison to;

Her husband poisoned her drink in order to kill her

Poisonverb

administer poison to;

She poisoned her husband but he did not die

Comparison Chart

PoisonVenom
Poison is a substance that causes injury, harm, or death to an organism when an organism absorbs a sufficient quantity of poison.Venom is an emission of fluid containing one or more contaminants produced by an animal.
Delivery Method
Absorption, ingestion, or inhalationInjection
Purpose
Inflicts illness or painInflicts illness or pain
Form
Gas, fluid, or some solidNormally fluid
Entrance
Enter in the bloodstream through inhalation, absorption, or injectionEnters the bloodstream through a bite or sting
Purpose
Used as a defensive purpose by preyUsed to kill prey
Self-Control
Don’t have any control whether poison prey or notHave control and choose to attack and inject venom.
Examples
Pufferfish, cane toad, poison ivy, poison oak, cyanide, dart frog, monarch butterfly, etcSnakes, Gila monster, komodo dragon, etc

Poison vs. Venom

The poison must be inhaled, absorbed, or injected to enter the bloodstream, whereas venom enters the bloodstream through a bite or sting. In the animal kingdom, poison is normally defensive, used by prey as a defense against predators, while venom is normally violent, used to kill prey by their predators. Animals with poison don’t have any control whether they poison us or not if we pick them up or eat them; on the contrary, animals with venom have to choose to attack and inject venom by biting and stinging. A poisonous animal is deadly when its poison is ingested such as if we inhale, swallow, or touch it; on the other hand, a venomous animal only hurt its victims with its venom by actively injecting its venom under the skin of its victim and from this way poison finds its way into its bloodstream and becomes fatal. Both poison and venom cause reactions, going from mild irritation to death. Both poison and venom inflict pain or illness. The delivery method of poison is absorption or ingestion; conversely, venom only delivers by injection. Poison is present in the form of gas, fluid, or some solid; on the other hand, venom is present in the form of fluid.

What is Poison?

Poison is a substance that causes injury, harm, or death to an organism when an organism absorbs a sufficient quantity of poison. In the animal kingdom, poison is normally defensive, used by prey as a defense against predators. Animals with poison don’t have any control whether they poison us or not if we pick them up or eat them. A poisonous animal is deadly when its poison is ingested, such as if we inhale, swallow, or touch it. Poison cause reactions, going from mild irritation to death. Poison inflicts pain or illness. Poison has a widespread variety of delivery methods.

Delivery Methods

  • Ingestion: Eating or ingesting poisonous animal or plant give way poison to enter the bloodstream. Dart frogs or monarch butterflies are brightly colored to warn predators.
  • Absorption: Happens when touch and hold a poisonous animal. Poison absorbs into the skin when touch or hold.
  • Inhalation: Breathing in poisonous air is extremely scary. Example of inhalable poison is Cyanide.

Example

Pufferfish, Cane toad, Poison ivy, Poison oak, Cyanide, Dart frog, Monarch butterfly, etc.

What is Venom?

Venom is an emission of fluid containing one or more contaminants produced by an animal. Venom enters the bloodstream through a bite or sting. Venom is normally violent, used to kill prey by their predators. Animals with venom have to choose to attack and inject venom by biting and stinging. A venomous animal only hurt its victims with its venom by actively injecting its venom under the skin of its victim and from this way poison finds its way into its bloodstream and becomes fatal. Venom cause reaction, going from mild irritation to death. Venom inflicts pain or illness. Venom only deliver by injection. Venom is present in the form of fluid. Venom is a particular type of poison that transfer through bite or sting, but the bottom line is that it must enter the bloodstream for its effect.

Delivery Methods

  • Bite: Venom enters in the blood through bite of a snake. Its side effects range from slight swelling and pain to paralysis and even death.
  • Sting: If an organism gets stung, the itching and burning pain is a result of venom that has been injected into the skin. Venomous animals are often reptiles and insects.

Example

Snakes, Gila monster, Komodo dragon, etc.

Conclusion

Above discussion concludes that poison must be inhaled, absorbed, or injected to enter the bloodstream, whereas venom enters the bloodstream through a bite or sting.