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

In the subsequent months, Kennedy has attempted a dramatic rollback of vaccine recommendations that, if not blocked by an ongoing lawsuit, could undermine protections against diseases like flu, hepatitis B and RSV. —ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

After Amalia’s blood oxygen registered as dangerously low, she was finally sent to a local hospital, and then to a larger one, in San Antonio, where she was diagnosed with COVID-19, RSV, bronchitis, pneumonia, and an ear infection. —Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2026

The respiratory syncytial virus season is lasting unusually late in the year, moving Texas to extend the period in which the RSV vaccine is available to young children. —Ciara McCarthy 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026

All adults age 75 and older should get the RSV vaccine, regardless of other health conditions.1 Plus, adults should get a flu and COVID shot annually. —Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 13 Apr. 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