booster dose

noun

plural booster doses
: a supplementary dose of a therapeutic agent designed to increase the effectiveness of one or more previously administered doses
I take 162 mg a day, as well as a booster dose of 325 mg (one regular aspirin) once every two weeks instead of my usual dose.Andrew Weil
especially : booster shot
Kansas providers are beginning to make plans for distributing thousands of COVID-19 booster doses, with the federal government indicating residents will begin getting those shots starting next month. Andrew Bahl

Examples of booster dose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Previously, Novavax was only authorized as a first booster dose for people who were unwilling or unable to get an mRNA shot. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 3 Oct. 2023 The move aligns with Tuesday’s US Food and Drug Administration actions to allow these groups to get additional booster doses ahead of the fall vaccination campaign. Katherine Dillinger, CNN, 19 Apr. 2023 Half a decade later, Borrell, now the European Union’s top diplomat, may be wondering whether the continent — and, in particular, his nation — is in need of a booster dose. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 July 2023 But uptake of the most recent bivalent booster dose remains low: just 17 percent of all Americans - and 43 percent of those 65 and older - had received the shots as of May 10, according to the CDC. Fenit Nirappil, Aara'l Yarber and Sheila Regan, Anchorage Daily News, 25 June 2023 Thus far, no schedule for a booster dose has been approved for mpox to boost immunity as case rates begin to build. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2023 The move aligns with the FDA’s actions this week to allow these groups to get additional booster doses ahead of its fall vaccination campaign. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 20 Apr. 2023 Last month, the FDA approved a second bivalent booster dose for individuals 65 years and older, and those with weakened immune systems. Kellie Hwang, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 May 2023 And while protection against mild infections is short-lived, booster doses continue to do a good job fighting severe disease and death even as more contagious variants have popped up. Lauran Neergaard, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'booster dose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of booster dose was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near booster dose

Cite this Entry

“Booster dose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/booster%20dose. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Medical Definition

booster dose

noun
: a supplementary dose of a therapeutic agent designed to increase the effectiveness of one or more previously administered doses
When possible, the drug [prednisone] was administered every other day, with booster doses during hemolytic crises.Russell E. Ware et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
especially : booster shot
… vaccines may have to receive a booster dose every five years after the original series. Marsha F. Goldsmith, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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