vaccinate

verb

vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination
vaccinator
ˈvak-sə-ˌnā-tər How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
noun

Examples of vaccinate in a Sentence

We vaccinate all the animals that come to our shelter.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The patient this time is an adult who was vaccinated against the disease, DPH said. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026 Roughly 7 million service members were vaccinated that year. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 But with the new exemption, the Air Force has the goal of vaccinating all of the recruits in this recruit class and will vaccinate all new recruits arriving at the base according to one of the sources. — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 1 July 2026 The court affirmed its prior ruling upholding New York’s ban on religious exemptions to its law requiring schoolchildren be vaccinated. — Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for vaccinate

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "to inoculate with fluid from a cowpox pustule," back-formation from vaccination; in later extended sense, in part borrowed from French vacciner, verbal derivative of vaccin vaccine

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaccinate was in 1882

Browse Nearby Words

vaccinal
vaccinate
vaccination
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vaccinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccinate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

vaccinate

verb
vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
vaccinated; vaccinating
: to give a vaccine to usually by injection
vaccinator
-ˌnāt-ər How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
noun

Medical Definition

vaccinate

1 of 2 verb
vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
vaccinated; vaccinating

transitive verb

1
: to inoculate (a person) with cowpox virus in order to produce immunity to smallpox
2
: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection

intransitive verb

: to perform or practice vaccination

More from Merriam-Webster on vaccinate

Nglish: Translation of vaccinate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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