1
: a tall tropical Asian tree (Antiaris toxicaria) of the mulberry family with a latex that contains poisonous glycosides used as an arrow poison
also
: a poisonous concentrate of the juice or latex of a upas
2
: a poisonous or harmful influence or institution
Examples of upas in a Sentence
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The deadly upas, root and branch, leaf and fibre, body and sap, must be utterly destroyed.
—
Frederick Douglass, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2017
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Frederick Douglass, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Upas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upas. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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