immunize
verb
im·mu·nize
ˈi-myə-ˌnīz 
immunized; immunizing; immunizes
: to make (someone or something) immune to something : to provide with protection against or immunity from something
Budding novelists immunize themselves against rejection by recalling rebuffs endured by even the most successful novelists …—
Edwin McDowell
: such as
Edwin McDowell
a
: to exempt from liability
… the investigation has been slowed by the refusal of seven former and current Hughes officials to cooperate unless immunized from prosecution.—Andy Pasztor and Rick Wartzman
Andy Pasztor and Rick Wartzman
b
: to make (a living organism) immune or resistant to a disease or pathogenic agent especially by inoculation : to create immunity in (as with a vaccine)
Measles can be almost completely controlled when adequate numbers of people within a population are immunized.—Scientific American Medicine
Scientific American Medicine… immunizing as many citizens as possible before an outbreak makes sense …—Shannon Brownlee
Shannon BrownleeExamples of immunize in a Sentence
Many people had to be immunized after being exposed to the disease.
Recent Examples on the Web
To be safe from the spread of measles, a community must be 95% immunized.
—Arthur Allen, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
To be safe from the spread of measles, a community must be 95% immunized.
—Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18, without other high-risk factors like immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not previously immunized, according to the guidance.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
After the outbreak, Chi-Chi's filed for bankruptcy and agreed to pay $800,000 in compensation to thousands of guests who had to be immunized due to the outbreak, and all of its restaurants were closed.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for immunize
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Arthur Allen, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
To be safe from the spread of measles, a community must be 95% immunized.
—Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18, without other high-risk factors like immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not previously immunized, according to the guidance.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
After the outbreak, Chi-Chi's filed for bankruptcy and agreed to pay $800,000 in compensation to thousands of guests who had to be immunized due to the outbreak, and all of its restaurants were closed.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for immunize
Cite this Entry
“Immunize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immunize. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
immunize
verb
im·mu·nize
ˈim-yə-ˌnīz
immunized; immunizing
: to make immune
have been immunized against polio
Medical Definition
immunize
transitive verb
im·mu·nize
variants
also British immunise
immunized also British immunised; immunizing also British immunising
: to make immune
Legal Definition
immunize
transitive verb
im·mu·nize
ˈi-myə-ˌnīz
immunized; immunizing
: to grant immunity to
the ultimately ill-fated effort to immunize state judges from the burdens of the federal income tax—J. K. Owens
J. K. OwensLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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