COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn 

variants or COVID

ˈkō-vid 

or Covid or Covid-19 or less commonly covid or covid-19

1

: a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure

Note: While fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath are common symptoms of COVID-19, other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

Individuals with compromised immune systems, whether because of immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive therapy, are among those most susceptible to COVID-19.

—Edward P. K. Parker et al.

Many people who get tested regularly for COVID-19 … test positive despite reporting no symptoms at all. But such asymptomatic infections, which can also occur with other kinds of viruses, are difficult to track, since you may never know if you had one.

—Danielle Echeverria

But, now more than ever, we must remember that COVID is not just a personal threat but a community one. For older and immunocompromised people, the risks are still significant. For example, people over 50 account for 93 percent of COVID-related deaths in the U.S. …

—Yasmin Tayag

The federal government dramatically expanded the role that pharmacies play in U.S. health care, positioning them at the center of the national vaccination campaign against Covid. Two out of every 3 Covid shots have been administered by pharmacies … according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

—Spencer Kimball

After the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, cases of Covid-19 surged around the country after people held family gatherings or congregated in large groups.

—Tara Parker-Pope

called also coronavirus, coronavirus disease, coronavirus disease 2019, CV-19, CV19

see long covid

2

: the strain of the coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum) that causes COVID-19 : sars-cov-2

The goal of the vaccine is to trick cells to produce antibodies against COVID-19's surface protein, thereby eliminating the virus with the body's own immune system.

—Miriam Fauzia

A weak immune system enables COVID-19 to remain in the body longer, copy itself and continually change in ways that flout existing treatment …

—Dennis Thompson

Examples of COVID-19 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This year marks the 98th edition of the bee after the competition was canceled during World War II and again in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. —ABC News, 28 May 2026

The union also pointed to data that the state published shortly after adopting telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating how remote work decreased Californian’s emissions and saved state employees’ money. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026

More people in the United States are experiencing hunger now than during the COVID-19 pandemic six years ago, according to a survey released yesterday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 May 2026

The two sat down for a conversation about filming in the Southern California area, how production concentration has shifted in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to power and encourage more production work in the Los Angeles area. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 May 2026

His experience high up in department leadership and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic in the jails and familiarity with how immigration enforcement intersects with the county jails informs his plans, Corbett said. —Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 28 May 2026

In March 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the excitement to a grinding halt. —Emily Holshouser may 28, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026

Advocates have pointed to the violence as another incident of racist attacks that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. —Dan Raby, CBS News, 28 May 2026

Tenev’s fortune was built primarily through the success of Robinhood, which exploded in popularity with retail investors during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued expanding into other businesses, including cryptocurrency and prediction markets. —Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

coronavirus disease 2019

First Known Use

2020, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn 

variants also COVID

ˈkō-vid

: a mild to serious illness that is caused by a coronavirus and is marked especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath

Medical Definition

COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn 

variants or COVID

ˈkō-vid 

or Covid or Covid-19 also covid or covid-19

1

: a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure

Note: While fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath are common symptoms of COVID-19, other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

Individuals with compromised immune systems, whether because of immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive therapy, are among those most susceptible to COVID-19.

—Edward P. K. Parker et al., The Lancet Global Health

Non-pharmaceutical measures including physical distancing, proper use of masks, … and quarantines have been imposed to delay the spread of Covid-19.

—Ikbel Hadj Hassine, Reviews in Medical Virology

The prevalence of COVID-19 in children is low (between 0.8% and 3.3%) and most children only display mild physical symptoms or are asymptomatic.

—Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer et al., European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

called also coronavirus, coronavirus disease, coronavirus disease 2019, CV-19, CV19

see long covid

2

: the strain of the coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum) that causes COVID-19 : sars-cov-2

Over the past 10 to 20 years, we have developed a series of technologies that are designed to make antibodies against many disease targets, including viruses. These technologies were used by our scientists to develop a cocktail of three antibodies to bind and block the GP [=glycoprotein] protein of Ebola. … And now we have used the same technologies to rapidly make an antibody cocktail … that binds and blocks the spike protein of Covid-19.

—George Yancopoulos, The New York Times