vampire

play

noun vam·pire \ˈvam-ˌpī(-ə)r\

Definition of vampire

1 : the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep
2a : one who lives by preying on othersb : a woman who exploits and ruins her lover
3 : vampire bat

vampiric

play \vam-ˈpir-ik\ adjective

vampirish

play \ˈvam-ˌpī(-ə)r-ish\ adjective

See vampire defined for English-language learners

See vampire defined for kids

Examples of vampire in a Sentence

regarded debt collectors as vampires who made a living from the misery of others

Recent Examples of vampire from the Web

YOUR COMPLAINT: Sometimes when the conductor says there is another train behind us, there is no train—only a cloud of vampire bats.

— jason o. gilbert, GQ, "A Memo from Governor Cuomo to New Yorkers About the Busted Subway System", 30 June 2017
In one part of the exhibit, a vampire bat flies away from its mount.

— jennifer billock, Smithsonian, "Five Augmented Reality Experiences That Bring Museum Exhibits to Life", 30 June 2017
Among them are the little brown bats and big brown bats, which are common in Michigan, and tiny vampire bats, which typically survive on cow blood.

— john wisely, Detroit Free Press, "Why 250 bats just moved into downtown Pontiac", 29 June 2017
Ever since Anne Rice resurrected the vampire legend with purple-prose portraits of the suave and worldly undead, Dracula & Co. have been portrayed as thoughtful characters with lots of style.

— david hammond, chicagotribune.com, "Drink This: Interview with the (bartender who makes) vampire (cocktails) at La Sirena Clandestina", 29 June 2017
Either that, or the new, vampire-centric Crimson Court is just that tantalizing.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Darkest Dungeon: The Crimson Court", 28 June 2017
Alexander Skarsgård, a man who played a vampire for seven years, had a showdown with the sun last weekend.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "This Sexy Shirtless Photo of Alexander Skarsgård Is an Important PSA for Sunscreen", 26 June 2017
At the close of that inaugural season, Jesse -- along with Tulip and vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) -- sets out to track down and confront God.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "'Wonderful madness': On the New Orleans set of AMC's 'Preacher'", 21 June 2017
The idea is that the titular amusement park is run by real vampires, werewolves, zombies and other creatures of the night, all pretending to be fake monsters.

— leslie felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Zombillenium': Film Review | Cannes 2017", 2 June 2017

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