virus

noun

Definition of virusnext
as in disease

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 The virus has also been reported in dairy cows, marine animals, wildlife, pets and humans. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026 Testing of saliva later confirmed infection with a bat rabies virus variant. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The antibodies recognize parts of the virus that have remained largely unchanged across circulating RSV strains. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Before the vaccine became available in 2006, nearly every child contracted the virus by age 5, often leading to severe dehydrating diarrhea, the CDC states. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for virus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virus
  1. disease
  2. contagion
Noun
  • The shipment includes emergency health kits for urgent medical care, including supplies for safe births, newborn care, disease prevention and treatment, according to the United Nations.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • The rabies vaccine, if administered immediately after exposure, is nearly 100% successful at preventing the disease, according to the World Health Organization.
    — Kelli Arseneau, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • These conditions make Ebola especially risky, as early symptoms can be mistaken for other illnesses such as malaria and delay detection, increasing risks of contagion.
    — Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Tarasoff also led to contagion notification standards in the Covid era.
    — M. Sara Rosenthal, STAT, 25 June 2026
Definition of contagion

Browse Nearby Words

virulently
virus
viruses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Virus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virus. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on virus

Nglish: Translation of virus for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about virus

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All