COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn 

variants or COVID

ˈkō-vid 

or Covid or Covid-19 or less commonly covid or covid-19

1

: a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of the genus Betacoronavirus), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure

Note: While fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath are common symptoms of COVID-19, other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

Many people who get tested regularly for COVID-19 … test positive despite reporting no symptoms at all. But such asymptomatic infections, which can also occur with other kinds of viruses, are difficult to track, since you may never know if you had one.

—Danielle Echeverria

But, now more than ever, we must remember that COVID is not just a personal threat but a community one. For older and immunocompromised people, the risks are still significant. For example, people over 50 account for 93 percent of COVID-related deaths in the U.S. …

—Yasmin Tayag

The federal government dramatically expanded the role that pharmacies play in U.S. health care, positioning them at the center of the national vaccination campaign against Covid. Two out of every 3 Covid shots have been administered by pharmacies … according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

—Spencer Kimball

After the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, cases of Covid-19 surged around the country after people held family gatherings or congregated in large groups.

—Tara Parker-Pope

called also coronavirus, coronavirus disease, coronavirus disease 2019, CV-19, CV19

see long covid

2

: the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 : sars-cov-2

The goal of the vaccine is to trick cells to produce antibodies against COVID-19's surface protein, thereby eliminating the virus with the body's own immune system.

—Miriam Fauzia

A weak immune system enables COVID-19 to remain in the body longer, copy itself and continually change in ways that flout existing treatment …

—Dennis Thompson

Examples of COVID-19 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The mandates are aimed at reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, which can be particularly harmful for some people. —Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024

Those who are 65+ were eligible to get a spring booster, too. COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are on the rise again, and some doctors predicting a summer wave thanks to the rising FLiRT variants. —Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 5 June 2024

Like its movie theater owner customers, Imax was hit hard by COVID-19 business shutdowns. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024

My passport holder has become a secure spot for all miscellaneous but important travel papers, including my international driver’s license, visa papers, COVID-19 vaccine card, and baggage receipts. —Lauren Mazzo, Travel + Leisure, 24 Mar. 2024

That overlapped with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the delta variant of COVID-19, which seemed to put an end to Biden's honeymoon period. —Leah Askarinam, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023

Torn between her career as a journalist and her empathy for her only surviving family member after just losing their mother to COVID-19, Bradley chooses her brother. —Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2023

The price of experience Demand for adventure travel has shot up since COVID-19, according to Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue, a company that evacuates travelers in the event of a medical or other emergency. —Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 23 June 2023

At the start of production in the middle of COVID-19 quarantine, the co-directors didn’t meet one another in person for a full year into working together. —Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

coronavirus disease 2019

First Known Use

2020, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn

variants also COVID

ˈkō-vid

: a mild to serious illness that is caused by a coronavirus and is marked especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath

Medical Definition

COVID-19

noun

ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn 

variants or COVID

ˈkō-vid 

or Covid or Covid-19 also covid or covid-19

1

: a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of the genus Betacoronavirus), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure

Note: While fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath are common symptoms of COVID-19, other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

Individuals with compromised immune systems, whether because of immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive therapy, are among those most susceptible to COVID-19.

—Edward P. K. Parker et al., The Lancet Global Health

Non-pharmaceutical measures including physical distancing, proper use of masks, … and quarantines have been imposed to delay the spread of Covid-19.

—Ikbel Hadj Hassine, Reviews in Medical Virology

The prevalence of COVID-19 in children is low (between 0.8% and 3.3%) and most children only display mild physical symptoms or are asymptomatic.

—Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer et al., European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

called also coronavirus, coronavirus disease, coronavirus disease 2019, CV-19, CV19

see long covid

2

: the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 : sars-cov-2

Over the past 10 to 20 years, we have developed a series of technologies that are designed to make antibodies against many disease targets, including viruses. These technologies were used by our scientists to develop a cocktail of three antibodies to bind and block the GP [=glycoprotein] protein of Ebola. … And now we have used the same technologies to rapidly make an antibody cocktail … that binds and blocks the spike protein of Covid-19.

—George Yancopoulos, The New York Times