An antidote is a substance that counteracts or reverses the effects of a poison or harmful substance. If someone accidentally swallows something toxic, doctors might give them an antidote to stop the poison from causing serious harm. For a snakebite, there's often a specific antidote called antivenom that neutralizes the venom.

Antidotes work in different ways: some bind to the poison to make it harmless, while others help the body eliminate the toxin faster.

People also use antidote more broadly to mean anything that counteracts a problem or negative situation. After a stressful week at school, playing outside with friends might be the perfect antidote to all that tension. If a classroom feels gloomy on a rainy day, a teacher's funny story could be an antidote to everyone's dreary mood. In this sense, an antidote is whatever relieves or fixes something unpleasant, whether it's an actual poison or just a bad day.