immunize

verb

im·​mu·​nize ˈi-myə-ˌnīz 

immunized; immunizing; immunizes

transitive verb

: to make (someone or something) immune to something : to provide with protection against or immunity from something

… the investigation has been slowed by the refusal of seven former and current Hughes officials to cooperate unless immunized from prosecution.

—Andy Pasztor and Rick Wartzman

Budding novelists immunize themselves against rejection by recalling rebuffs endured by even the most successful novelists …

—Edwin McDowell

specifically : to make (a living organism) immune or resistant to a disease or pathogenic agent especially by inoculation : to create immunity in (as with a vaccine)

Measles can be almost completely controlled when adequate numbers of people within a population are immunized.

—Scientific American Medicine

… immunizing as many citizens as possible before an outbreak makes sense …

—Shannon Brownlee

Examples of immunize in a Sentence

Many people had to be immunized after being exposed to the disease.

Recent Examples on the Web

The common antivenom used to treat rattlesnake bites, for example, is made by immunizing donor animals such as horses or sheep with snake venom and then harvesting the antibodies produced by these animals, according to the World Health Organization. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024

Those who are not immunized and haven’t had measles before are at risk of developing symptoms between one and three weeks after exposure. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

Still, a small proportion of people immunized were injured by the shots, stoking debate about their benefits versus harms. —Jason Gale, Fortune Well, 19 Feb. 2024

Because there are four different dengue virus strains which often co-circulate in the same geographic region, dengue vaccines are expected to immunize recipients against all of them. —Stephen J. Thomas, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024

Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000, and American children generally must be immunized to attend school. —Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024

The Illinois Department of Public Health's Vax Verify tool allows parents to check vaccination records for those immunized in the state from 2007 onward. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024

Some of the gap results from parents unable or unwilling to share records with the schools, and not because their children are not immunized, Dr. Hahn said. —Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Herd immunity is the portion of the population that must be immunized against an infection to prevent its spread through the community. —Brenda Goodman, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

immunize

verb

im·​mu·​nize ˈim-yə-ˌnīz 

immunized; immunizing

: to make immune

have been immunized against polio

Medical Definition

immunize

transitive verb

im·​mu·​nize

variants also British immunise

ˈim-yə-ˌnīz 

immunized also British immunised; immunizing also British immunising

: to make immune

Legal Definition

immunize

transitive verb

im·​mu·​nize ˈi-myə-ˌnīz 

immunized; immunizing

: to grant immunity to

the ultimately ill-fated effort to immunize state judges from the burdens of the federal income tax

—J. K. Owens

immunization

ˌi-myə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

noun