vaccinate

verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination

vaccinator

ˈvak-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Examples of vaccinate in a Sentence

We vaccinate all the animals that come to our shelter.

Recent Examples on the Web

And remember that vaccinating a pet safeguards the family, neighborhood and the wider community. —Henry I. Miller, Boston Herald, 25 Nov. 2025

Just over half have either received the flu vaccine for their children or plan to, while the other half either do not intend to vaccinate their children or are still unsure. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 25 Nov. 2025

It’s made from the plasma – the clear part of the blood – of donors who’ve been vaccinated against botulism. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

Health officials recommend people get vaccinated before the holiday season — think Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's — arrives. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "to inoculate with fluid from a cowpox pustule," back-formation from vaccination; in later extended sense, in part borrowed from French vacciner, verbal derivative of vaccin vaccine

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

vaccinate

verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

: to give a vaccine to usually by injection

vaccinator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

vaccinate

1 of 2 verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt 

vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

1

: to inoculate (a person) with cowpox virus in order to produce immunity to smallpox

2

: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination

vaccinate

2 of 2 noun

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt  -nət 

: a vaccinated individual