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
The reason that content is such a big issue is because there’s section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which immunizes companies like Meta, Google, and YouTube from anything related to content.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2026
There are no coherent debates to be had about the absolute necessity to immunize children for both their individual benefit and the preservation of public health as a whole.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
The order effectively immunizes the Army-Navy game from a competing college football broadcast, including one that might attract more viewers and higher ratings.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 without other high-risk factors, such as immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not immunized before, according to the guidance.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for immunize
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Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2026
There are no coherent debates to be had about the absolute necessity to immunize children for both their individual benefit and the preservation of public health as a whole.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
The order effectively immunizes the Army-Navy game from a competing college football broadcast, including one that might attract more viewers and higher ratings.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 without other high-risk factors, such as immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not immunized before, according to the guidance.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for immunize
Cite this Entry
“Immunize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immunize. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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
