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
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob’s short interaction with a fan via email has now gone viral after it was made public following a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
The model was shockingly good at mimicking Studio Ghibli’s organic, eminently human aesthetic; the trick went viral, and the internet was flooded with Ghibli slop consisting of random images frictionlessly turned into anime.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
In response to her remarks, a new hashtag, #iwasfifteen, went viral, as celebrities and others took to social media to share photos of themselves as teenagers.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
That nightmarish sound is bound to go viral.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for viral
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Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
The model was shockingly good at mimicking Studio Ghibli’s organic, eminently human aesthetic; the trick went viral, and the internet was flooded with Ghibli slop consisting of random images frictionlessly turned into anime.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
In response to her remarks, a new hashtag, #iwasfifteen, went viral, as celebrities and others took to social media to share photos of themselves as teenagers.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
That nightmarish sound is bound to go viral.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for viral
Cite this Entry
“Viral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viral. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
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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