antivirus

adjective

an·​ti·​vi·​rus ˌan-tē-ˈvī-rəs 

ˌan-tī-

1

: used to protect a computer from viruses : antiviral

antivirus software

2

medical : acting, effective, or directed against viruses : antiviral

an antivirus vaccine

Examples of antivirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid an acute shortage of antivirus gear, the state is handing out production licences. —The Economist, 14 Mar. 2020

Bursztein points out that kits for crafting malicious documents and tailoring them to evade antivirus scanners are readily available in online criminal forums, ranging in price from about $400 to $5,000. —Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 25 Feb. 2020

Officials in the Czech Republic have launched an investigation into Avast, one of the Internet’s most popular free antivirus programs, amid accusations the company sold the search history of as many as 100 million users to third parties. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2020

The attack chain uses a host of clever tricks to evade antivirus protection. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for antivirus

• herpesvirus
• parvovirus
• reovirus
• retrovirus
• rhinovirus
• rotavirus
• adenovirus
• baculovirus
• coronavirus
• enterovirus
• poliovirus
• cytomegalovirus