vaccinate

verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination

vaccinator

ˈvak-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Examples of vaccinate in a Sentence

We vaccinate all the animals that come to our shelter.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Biden administration also required service members to receive COVID-19 vaccines, leading thousands of people who declined to get vaccinated to voluntarily or involuntarily leave the military. — Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 25 June 2026

Researchers then checked whether the patients had been vaccinated, and used the information to calculate the odds of a positive test in the groups of unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, respectively. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

However, not all women are able to get vaccinated as a teenager or get regular screenings in adulthood. — Dr. Areta Bojko, ABC News, 24 June 2026

Roughly 7 million service members were vaccinated that year. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "to inoculate with fluid from a cowpox pustule," back-formation from vaccination; in later extended sense, in part borrowed from French vacciner, verbal derivative of vaccin vaccine

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

vaccinate

verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

: to give a vaccine to usually by injection

vaccinator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

vaccinate

1 of 2 verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

1

: to inoculate (a person) with cowpox virus in order to produce immunity to smallpox

2

: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination

vaccinate

2 of 2 noun

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt  -nət 

: a vaccinated individual