: 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
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Nguyen and Balteaux said the concept was born from their own experiences of shame from their sexuality, growing up in the ’80s during the peak of the AIDS crisis.
—
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
None has the scientific firepower of WHO members such as France’s Pasteur Institute, which played a key role in the AIDS epidemic, or Britain’s Medical Research Council, which has produced 32 Nobel Prize winners.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Backdropped by New York’s ’80s AIDS crisis, the film sees Ford’s character develop a painstaking infatuation with Jimmy, despite the latter’s declining health.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the top nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations in the country.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
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Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
None has the scientific firepower of WHO members such as France’s Pasteur Institute, which played a key role in the AIDS epidemic, or Britain’s Medical Research Council, which has produced 32 Nobel Prize winners.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Backdropped by New York’s ’80s AIDS crisis, the film sees Ford’s character develop a painstaking infatuation with Jimmy, despite the latter’s declining health.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the top nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations in the country.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for AIDS
Cite this Entry
“AIDS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/AIDS. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
AIDS
noun
: 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
: 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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
