vaccine

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn

, ˈvak-ˌsēn \

Definition of vaccine

: a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease

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Examples of vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Staying shuttered until there’s a vaccine would be the surest way to preserve people’s physical health. — Carolyn Said, SFChronicle.com, "Lives or livelihoods? Bay Area seeks balance in reopening economy," 22 May 2020 The vaccine is from CanSino Biologics in Tianjin, China. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "Latest on global search for coronavirus vaccine: Three candidates show early promise," 22 May 2020 Oxford’s vaccine is the fourth to receive BARDA support. — John Lauerman, Fortune, "British pharma giant AstraZeneca get $1 billion from the U.S. to make coronavirus vaccine," 21 May 2020 Many assume a widely available vaccine is years away, if ever. — Ray Kurzweil, Wired, "AI-Powered Biotech Can Help Deploy a Vaccine In Record Time," 19 May 2020 The interim data also showed that the vaccine was generally safe and well-tolerated. — Mirel Zaman, refinery29.com, "Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Is Looking Promising," 19 May 2020 The scientific community agrees that a vaccine is essential to resuming anything resembling normal life. — Tara Law, Time, "There Isn't a COVID-19 Vaccine Yet. But Some Are Already Skeptical About It," 18 May 2020 Second, there is growing hope that a vaccine is coming our way sooner, rather than later. — Taylor Telford, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Triple whammy’ of good news powers Dow more than 900 points higher," 18 May 2020 Life cannot return completely to normal until a vaccine is available. — The Economist, "Herd on the street Is Sweden’s approach to covid-19 wise or reckless?," 16 May 2020

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

History and Etymology for vaccine

earlier, "fluid from cowpox pustules used in inoculation," noun use of vaccine "of cowpox" (in the phrases vaccine disease, vaccine matter), borrowed from New Latin vaccina (in variolae vaccinae "cowpox"), going back to Latin, feminine of vaccīnus "of or from a cow," from vacca "cow" (perhaps akin to Sanskrit vaśā "cow") + -īnus -ine entry 1; in extended sense, "preparation of organisms administered to produce immunity," in part borrowed from French vaccin, masculine derivative of vaccine "cowpox, matter from cowpox pustules," borrowed from New Latin or English

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Last Updated

28 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine. Accessed 10 Jun. 2020.

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More Definitions for vaccine

vaccine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of vaccine

medical : a substance that is usually injected into a person or animal to protect against a particular disease

See the full definition for vaccine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn

, ˈvak-ˌsēn \

Kids Definition of vaccine

: a preparation containing usually killed or weakened microorganisms (as bacteria or viruses) that is given usually by injection to increase protection against a particular disease

vaccine

noun

vac·cine | \ vak-ˈsēn, ˈvak-ˌ

Medical Definition of vaccine

1 : matter or a preparation containing the virus of cowpox used to vaccinate a person against smallpox

2 : a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease chicken pox vaccine also : a mixture of several such vaccines measles-mumps-rubella vaccine

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