vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn

, ˈvak-ˌsēn \

Definition of vaccine

: a preparation that is administered (as by injection) to stimulate the body's immune response against a specific infectious disease:

a : an antigenic preparation of a typically inactivated or attenuated (see attenuated sense 2) pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus) or one of its components or products (such as a protein or toxin)

b : a preparation of genetic material (such as a strand of synthesized messenger RNA) that is used by the cells of the body to produce an antigenic substance (such as a fragment of virus spike protein)

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Examples of vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Canada, the cumulative percentage of the population that has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is around 13%, which pales by comparison with the U.S. and U.K., and is also lower than many European Union nations. — Joshua Cohen, Forbes, "O Canada: Woefully Behind On Vaccinations, And Seeing A Surge In Cases Of Variants Of Concern," 9 Apr. 2021 Officials also reported that Arkansas has given 1,329,393 doses of the covid-19 vaccine. — Arkansas Democrat-gazette, Arkansas Online, "FRIDAY, APRIL 9: Five things to know about covid-19 in Arkansas," 9 Apr. 2021 Now, Biggs’ mission is helping to ensure that needles loaded with the Covid-19 vaccine get into the arms of as many people as possible in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. — NBC News, "Air Force reservist on Covid front lines goes from securing body bags to delivering vaccines," 9 Apr. 2021 Deliveries of Johnson & Johnson ’s Covid-19 vaccine doses throughout the U.S. are expected to plunge by more than 80% next week, according to state officials and federal data, as J&J grapples with manufacturing challenges. — Peter Loftus, WSJ, "J&J Covid-19 Vaccine Deliveries to Drop Sharply Next Week," 9 Apr. 2021 Where are vaccine passports required in the United States? — The Enquirer, "What's a vaccine passport and are they required in Ohio?," 9 Apr. 2021 Can London, England, really require vaccine passports for dinner reservations, if Miami, Fla., does not? — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "‘Pandemic Anxiety’ Has No Future," 9 Apr. 2021 The idea of vaccine passports has been highly controversial and would largely be carried out by the private sector. — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, "Newsom’s plan to reopen California may be less risky than it seems," 9 Apr. 2021 Fauci noted that more than 75% of people ages 65 years and older have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in the US. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "Fauci says new Covid-19 cases are at a disturbing level as the US is primed for a surge," 8 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vaccine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for vaccine

earlier, "fluid from cowpox pustules used in inoculation," noun use of vaccine "of cowpox" (in the phrases vaccine disease, vaccine matter), borrowed from New Latin vaccina (in variolae vaccinae "cowpox"), going back to Latin, feminine of vaccīnus "of or from a cow," from vacca "cow" (perhaps akin to Sanskrit vaśā "cow") + -īnus -ine entry 1; in extended sense, "preparation of organisms administered to produce immunity," in part borrowed from French vaccin, masculine derivative of vaccine "cowpox, matter from cowpox pustules," borrowed from New Latin or English

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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

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Last Updated

11 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine. Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for vaccine

vaccine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of vaccine

medical : a substance that is usually injected into a person or animal to protect against a particular disease

See the full definition for vaccine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn

, ˈvak-ˌsēn \

Kids Definition of vaccine

: a preparation containing usually killed or weakened microorganisms (as bacteria or viruses) that is given usually by injection to increase protection against a particular disease

vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn, ˈvak-ˌ

Medical Definition of vaccine

1 : matter or a preparation containing the virus of cowpox used to vaccinate a person against smallpox

2 a preparation that is administered (as by injection) to stimulate the body's immune response against a specific infectious disease:

a : an antigenic preparation of a typically inactivated or attenuated pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus) or one of its components or products (such as a protein or toxin)