pre-exposure

adjective

pre-ex·​po·​sure ˌprē-ik-ˈspō-zhər How to pronounce pre-exposure (audio)
variants or less commonly preexposure
: occurring, administered, used, or being in the period preceding exposure (as to a stimulus or a pathogen)
pre-exposure rabies vaccination
Canon has also added a red-eye reduction pre-exposure light …Herbert Keppler
see also pre-exposure prophylaxis
pre-exposure noun
Rats differ from monkeys and chicks in that simultaneous pre-exposure to two stimuli does facilitate their subsequent discrimination … R. A. Hinde

Examples of pre-exposure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The subsequent approval of the HIV-prevention pill — called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP — in 2012 only hastened the decline. Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024 Similar algorithms have been developed in Kenya and Uganda to help determine ideal candidates for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Jennifer Lotito, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 To be fair, researchers did conduct a clinical trial of doxy PEP in cisgender women, but its outcomes were affected by the same issue that plagued early clinical trials of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among cisgender women. Oni Blackstock and Whitney C. Irie, STAT, 22 July 2024 Now, two new studies have helped expand the conversation about doxycycline, to ask whether taking just 100 mg of the antibiotic daily — as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or doxyPrEP — might afford a more optimal balance of risks versus benefits for some people. Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 18 July 2024 The development of once-a-day pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), drugs like Truvada and Descovy signified a huge advance in HIV medicine. New Atlas, 15 July 2024 Developing long-acting ways of treating HIV has become a major focus in efforts to manage the virus, including to prevent infection, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Robert Hart, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Post-exposure vaccination should be administered as soon as possible to anyone with a known or likely exposure to rabies, including those who received pre-exposure protection. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024 Millions more avoided infecting others or were protected from being infected with HIV thanks to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pre-exposure was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near pre-exposure

Cite this Entry

“Pre-exposure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pre-exposure. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

pre-exposure

adjective
pre-ex·​po·​sure -ik-ˈspō-zhər How to pronounce pre-exposure (audio)
variants preexposure
: of, relating to, occurring in, or being the period preceding exposure (as to a stimulus or a pathogen)
pre-exposure immunization
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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