1
: of, relating to, or caused by a virus
a viral infection
2
: quickly and widely spread or popularized especially by means of social media
a viral video
Examples of viral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are hip isolations, jump turns and the all-around joyful silliness that generally ensues when TikTok users go all in on a viral moment.
—
Leslie Katz, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
The closest anything produced by the producers came to a viral moment was when John Leguizamo touted the TV Academy’s diversity efforts… which didn’t exactly hold up to the internet’s immediate scrutiny.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2024
Behind the show’s most viral moments are executive producers Jesse Collins, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay and Dionne Harmon from Jesse Collins Entertainment.
—Colson Thayer, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024
The now viral and highly politicized rumors are being fueled by former President Trump, his running mate, JD Vance, and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city.
—Luis Andres Henao, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for viral 
Leslie Katz, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
The closest anything produced by the producers came to a viral moment was when John Leguizamo touted the TV Academy’s diversity efforts… which didn’t exactly hold up to the internet’s immediate scrutiny.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2024
Behind the show’s most viral moments are executive producers Jesse Collins, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay and Dionne Harmon from Jesse Collins Entertainment.
—Colson Thayer, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024
The now viral and highly politicized rumors are being fueled by former President Trump, his running mate, JD Vance, and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city.
—Luis Andres Henao, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for viral
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'viral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near viral
Cite this Entry
“Viral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viral. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
viral
adjective
vi·ral
ˈvī-rəl 
1
: of, relating to, or caused by a virus
a viral infection
2
: quickly and widely spread or popularized especially by person-to-person electronic communication
a viral video
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