RSV

1 of 2

abbreviation or noun

ˌär-ˌes-ˈvē 

plural RSVs

: respiratory syncytial virus

Like many viruses, RSV is spread through contact with an infected person or contaminated objects.

—Nancy Snyderman

RSV, a common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems for babies, has been spreading around the region and the country, and doctors are cautioning about the risks to young children.

—Josette Keelor

RSVs typically emerge in late fall and remain until early spring. However, signs of RSV outbreak began in the middle of April before exponentially increasing by early May.

—Winston Henvey

RSV

2 of 2

abbreviation

Revised Standard Version

Examples of RSV in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Abbreviation or noun

Respiratory viruses circulate year-round in the United States, but waiting rooms typically fill with flu and RSV cases in the fall and winter. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website itself estimates that before the introduction of RSV vaccine, 50,000 to 80,000 children younger than 5 years old were hospitalized with RSV. — Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

The six vaccines no longer recommended to all children were for COVID-19, seasonal flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and rotavirus. — Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 12 Aug. 2026

The administration’s 18 comes from its own assessment, which counts 17 vaccine-preventable diseases plus RSV (RSV has a monoclonal antibody that is not a vaccine). — Katrine Wallace, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Abbreviation Or Noun

1961, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

RSV

1 of 2 abbreviation or noun

ˌär-ˌes-ˈvē 

: respiratory syncytial virus

Long considered primarily a pathogen of young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been recognized as a cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in adults.

—Harvey B. Simon, Science & Medicine

However, upper respiratory tract infections caused by RSV tend to last longer than those caused by other common respiratory agents …

—Caroline Breese, The New England Journal of Medicine

RSV

2 of 2 abbreviation

Rous sarcoma virus