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vaccinate
verb
vac·ci·nate
ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt
vaccinated; vaccinating
: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection
: to perform or practice vaccination
Examples of vaccinate in a Sentence
We vaccinate all the animals that come to our shelter.
Recent Examples on the Web
While some right-wing critics obsessed over his tattoos, the pair led a smart campaign to vaccinate and educate, effectively ending the outbreak.
—Zeynep Tufekci, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024
This dynamic was a big reason Covid death rates so dramatically diverged between Republicans and Democrats: Party affiliation determined people’s willingness to get vaccinated, wear masks, social distance, and take other preventive measures, says Oberlander.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 27 Nov. 2024
But immunization rates remained perilously low, with less than a third of infants getting vaccinated, and, a few months later, the country experienced a devastating measles outbreak.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2024
The vaccine doesn’t prevent 100% of infections, but those who are vaccinated and still get sick typically have milder illness, according to the CDC.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
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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
Dictionary Entries Near vaccinate
Cite this Entry
“Vaccinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccinate. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
vaccinate
verb
vac·ci·nate
ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt
vaccinated; vaccinating
: to give a vaccine to usually by injection
Medical Definition
vaccinate
1 of 2 verb
vac·ci·nate
ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt
vaccinated; vaccinating
1
: to inoculate (a person) with cowpox virus in order to produce immunity to smallpox
2
: to administer a vaccine to usually by injection
: to perform or practice vaccination
vaccinate
2 of 2 noun
vac·ci·nate
ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt
-nət
: a vaccinated individual
More from Merriam-Webster on vaccinate
Nglish: Translation of vaccinate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of vaccinate for Arabic Speakers
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