vampire

noun vam·pire \ ˈvam-ˌpī(-ə)r \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

2 a : one who lives by preying on others

b : 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

More than 100 million copies of the books in the Twilight series have sold, which also brought vampire love between Edward and Bella to the big screen.

— roxanna scott, USA TODAY, "Since Tiger Woods won his last Masters green jacket, here's how much the world has changed," 27 Mar. 2018
First came last week's release of the latest trailer for New Moon, the new movie installment of the bestselling teen vampire book series.

— Newsweek, "Amazing Photos of Bioluminescent Phytoplankton," 14 Mar. 2018
Robert Pattinson's vampire days might be long behind him, but the 31-year-old actor still dresses a little bit like the king of the underworld in his real life.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "The Robert Pattinson Guide to Dressing Like a Badass," 12 Mar. 2018
The film ends with Frederic reunited with the woman from his memory, who’s a vampire herself.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Foreign / Paranormal Discover the erotic, macabre world of French director Jean Rollin," 1 Mar. 2018
Next season, the Milwaukee Ballet will revive a legendary vampire and a popular dance that blends Bach and African music.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Ballet bringing 'Dracula' back next season," 11 Feb. 2018
On a lighter note, meet the vampire frog that devours its mother's eggs.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Some Frogs May Be Developing a Resistance to the Disastrous Chytrid Fungus," 29 Mar. 2018
This show is clearly a major departure from Nina's vampire roots on the more dramatic, fantastical Vampire Diaries.

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "Nina Dobrev Just Booked Her First TV Gig Since "Vampire Diaries" and She's Officially Retiring Her Fangs," 13 Mar. 2018
In 2016, he was questioned by police after calling Christians bloodsucking vampires who should be expelled from the country.

— yardena schwartz, Newsweek, "Israel’s Alt-Right Is Now Mainstream—Are Lawmakers Doing Enough to Stop It?," 7 Mar. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of vampire

borrowed from French, borrowed from German Vampir, borrowed from Serbian vampir

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1732

See Words from the same year

vampire Synonyms

Other Mythology and Folklore Terms

elysian, fay, muse, nimbus, phoenix

VAMPIRE Defined for English Language Learners

vampire

noun

Definition of vampire for English Language Learners

in stories : a dead person who leaves the grave at night to bite and suck the blood of living people

VAMPIRE Defined for Kids

vampire

noun vam·pire \ ˈvam-ˌpīr \

Definition of vampire for Students

: the body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of sleeping people

Medical Dictionary

vampire

noun vam·pire \ ˈvam-ˌpī(ə)r \

medical Definition of vampire

: vampire bat

Learn More about vampire

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for vampire Spanish Central: Translation of vampire Nglish: Translation of vampire for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of vampire for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vampire

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vampire

Definition of vampire

vampiric

vampirish

Examples of vampire in a Sentence

Recent Examples of vampire from the Web

Origin and Etymology of vampire

vampire Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Mythology and Folklore Terms

VAMPIRE Defined for English Language Learners

vampire

Definition of vampire for English Language Learners

VAMPIRE Defined for Kids

vampire

Definition of vampire for Students

Medical Dictionary

vampire

medical Definition of vampire

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