AIDS

noun

ˈādz 

: a disease of the human immune system that is characterized cytologically especially by reduction in the numbers of CD4-bearing helper T cells to 20 percent or less of normal thereby rendering the subject highly vulnerable to life-threatening conditions (such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) and to some (such as Kaposi's sarcoma) that become life-threatening and that is caused by infection with HIV commonly transmitted in infected blood especially during illicit intravenous drug use and in bodily secretions (such as semen) during sexual intercourse

Examples of AIDS in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But when McGinley was a teen-ager, Michael became sick with AIDS and moved home to New Jersey. — Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026

The show took a more serious turn in the 80s as lawmakers neglected to respond to the AIDS epidemic. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Her nonfiction includes The Gentrification of The Mind, a memoir of the homogenization of her city in the wake of the AIDS crisis. — Sarah Schulman, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026

As one of the first celebrity activists involved in the AIDS epidemic, Morgan Fairchild feared the worst when her dear friend Rock Hudson suddenly became sick in 1984. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing AIDS

• AIDS-related complex
• AIDS virus
• anti-AIDS

Rhymes for AIDS

• aides
• blades
• braids
• cades
• fades
• glades
• grades
• jades
• maids
• nsaids
• plaids
• raids

Kids Definition

AIDS

noun

ˈādz 

: a serious disease of the human immune system marked by destruction of a large proportion of the helper T cells in the body due to infection by the HIV virus commonly transmitted especially in blood and semen

Medical Definition

AIDS

noun

ˈādz 

: a disease of the human immune system that is characterized cytologically especially by a reduction in the numbers of CD4-bearing helper T cells to 20 percent or less of normal thereby rendering the subject highly vulnerable to life-threatening conditions (as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) and to some that become life threatening (as Kaposi's sarcoma) and that is caused by infection with HIV commonly transmitted in infected blood especially during illicit intravenous drug use and in bodily secretions (as semen) during sexual intercourse

called also acquired immune deficiency syndrome, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome