SARS-CoV-2

noun

ˈsärz-kō-ˈvē-ˈtü 

: a strain of the coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum) that is the causative agent of COVID-19 compare sars-cov-1

Examples of SARS-CoV-2 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During Covid-19, the world mobilized unprecedented resources to develop SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 1 July 2026

Developing a vaccine within 100 days of SARS-CoV-2’s arrival, for example, would have saved more than 8 million lives, CEPI calculates. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 19 May 2026

Fourth, epidemiologists suspect that hantavirus is most contagious when an infected person is showing symptoms, whereas SARS-CoV-2 can readily be transmitted by seemingly healthy people. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026

This outbreak is not likely to spark a pandemic, mostly because the hantavirus is less contagious than influenza, measles, and SARS-CoV-2. — Joseph Allen, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2020, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

SARS-CoV-2

noun

ˈsärz-kō-ˈvē-ˈtü 

: a strain of the coronavirus (Betacoronavirus pandemicum) that is the causative agent of COVID-19 see delta variant, omicron variant compare sars-cov-1