virus

noun

Definition of virusnext
as in disease

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of virus Reports suggest that on average, one infected person in Fiji will pass the virus on to 10 others. — David Cox, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026 Even those exceptionally well-suited to slipping past the defences, like the rubella virus, are thankfully now rare in modern society thanks to vaccination programs. — Mike McRae 24, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026 The top line of that certificate is the bleeding, and the underlying cause is hepatitis B because the virus started the sequence. — Jess Steier, STAT, 25 Sep. 2026 The virus has been detected in 21 of the state’s 58 counties. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for virus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virus
  1. disease
  2. contagion
Noun
  • Instead, the defense sought to persuade the jury that the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse was not criminally responsible because of mental disease, a rare condition called postpartum psychosis.
    — MICHAEL CASEY, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The growing range of treatment options marks a shift from seeking a cure to focusing on avoiding the disease entirely.
    — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • In the bleak postapocalyptic landscape of Volume III, the governments of the planet have failed to work together to contain the contagion, leading to the breakdown of societies, civil war and anarchy.
    — Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Or the borrowing rush to build AI is an early outbreak of a credit contagion of the sort that broke containment in 2008.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of contagion

Browse Nearby Words

virulently
virus
viruses
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Cite this Entry

“Virus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virus. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on virus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about virus

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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