booster dose

noun

plural booster doses

: a supplementary dose of a therapeutic agent designed to increase the effectiveness of one or more previously administered doses

I take 162 mg a day, as well as a booster dose of 325 mg (one regular aspirin) once every two weeks instead of my usual dose.

—Andrew Weil

especially : booster shot

Kansas providers are beginning to make plans for distributing thousands of COVID-19 booster doses, with the federal government indicating residents will begin getting those shots starting next month.

—Andrew Bahl

Examples of booster dose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the spring of 2022, officials authorized a second booster dose after the initial fall rollout. —Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 3 Nov. 2024

And California officials require a booster dose for students entering seventh grade. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024

On top of existing vaccine requirements for school-age children, the new rule mandates the vaccine against meningitis, a disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, for students entering seventh grade and a booster dose for eligible students entering 12th grade, according to DHS. —Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 21 May 2024

The vaccine was also approved as a booster dose after completing a primary series of Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine. —Anju Goel, Verywell Health, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

booster dose

noun

: a supplementary dose of a therapeutic agent designed to increase the effectiveness of one or more previously administered doses

When possible, the drug [prednisone] was administered every other day, with booster doses during hemolytic crises.

—Russell E. Ware et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

especially : booster shot

… vaccines may have to receive a booster dose every five years after the original series.

—Marsha F. Goldsmith, The Journal of the American Medical Association