human papillomavirus

noun

: any of numerous papillomaviruses (as of the genera Alphapapillomavirus, Betapapillomavirus, and Gammapapillomavirus) that cause various human papillomas (such as genital warts and plantar warts) and include some associated with the production of human cancer

—abbreviation HPV

Examples of human papillomavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Similarly, in a study of women who were immunized against the human papillomavirus at age 12 or 13, none developed the disease later. —Deborah Fuller, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025

In 2013, Carpenter founded Go Doc Go, a non-governmental organization that trains midwives and physicians in Senegal, Ethiopia, The Gambia, and Haiti to screen women for cervical cancer while providing thousands of human papillomavirus tests and medical supplies annually. —Alaa Elassar, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025

One former scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was researching human papillomavirus, a viral infection that can sometimes lead to cancer. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 23 Feb. 2025

All warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a contagious virus that’s found essentially everywhere and affects more kids and teenagers (up to 33 percent of them), and few adults (around 3-5 percent).2 What to Know About Wart Removers Does Duct Tape Work on Warts? —Susan Bard, Health, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for human papillomavirus

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

Medical Definition

human papillomavirus

noun

: a double-stranded DNA virus of the genus Papillomavirus (species Human papillomavirus) that has numerous genotypes causing various human warts (as the common warts of the extremities, plantar warts, and genital warts) including some associated with the production of cervical cancer

called also HPV