vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn

, ˈvak-ˌsēn\

Definition of vaccine

: a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease

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Examples of vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Your body will often clear the virus on its own before either of these possibilities comes to pass, but getting the HPV vaccine is still a great way to lower the risk of dealing with these problems. — Sophie Saint Thomas, SELF, "9 Things to Know Before You Try Strap-On Sex," 2 Mar. 2019 Also, vaccines are the Illuminati trying to control us. — Constance Grady, Vox, "The Alice Walker anti-Semitism controversy, explained," 20 Dec. 2018 The anti-vaxxer movement claims that vaccines are dangerous to developing bodies. — Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle, "Texas No. 1 'hotspot' for vaccine exemptions," 13 June 2018 And while flu vaccines are available and recommended, some shots are less effective than others depending on the strain of flu. — Sarah Gray, Fortune, "This University Wants to Pay People to Live in 'Hotel Influenza' for Over a Week," 8 June 2018 So if your doctor doesn’t bring up the HPV vaccine, ask about it. — Consumer Reports, Washington Post, "HPV infection rates remain high and many adolescents still aren’t vaccinated, study says," 11 June 2018 The good news is that most of these high-risk strains are targeted by the HPV vaccine. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "A primer for Donald Trump: HIV and HPV are completely different viruses," 18 May 2018 Practicing abstinence, using condoms, and having fewer partners and getting the HPV vaccine can prevent gonorrhea and other STD infections, the CDC said. — Lauren Castle, azcentral, "U.K. man contracts drug-resistant gonorrhea; Arizona sees rise in cases," 6 Apr. 2018 In one study, Brewer found that doctors could increase vaccination rates simply by limiting their discussion of the HPV vaccine to brief, assertive statements. — William Wan, chicagotribune.com, "People can't be educated into vaccinations, but behavioral nudges help, study finds," 5 Apr. 2018

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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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 of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease chicken pox vaccine also : a mixture of several such vaccines measles-mumps-rubella vaccine