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

Automate immunization tracking and send reminders for booster doses. —Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

No additional booster doses are recommended after initial vaccination series is completed. —Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2025

When feasible, the CDC also recommends a booster dose for adults 65 years and older. —Annette Regan, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025

Because protection from Tdap wanes over time, the CDC says adults should receive a booster dose of Tdap or Td (which only protects against tetanus, not diphtheria or pertussis) every 10 years. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for booster dose

• adios
• adipose
• amylose
• bellicose
• cellulose
• centavos
• comatose
• diagnose
• grandiose
• granulose
• levulose
• overdose

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