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 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.
Read: His daughter was America’s first measles death in a decade Kennedy’s wishy-washy comments about the measles vaccine may persuade more parents not to vaccinate their children—which means that more children will get sick, and perhaps die. Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025 Last year, only 92.7% of U.S. kindergartners were vaccinated, compared with 95.2% in the 2019-20 school year. Brian Castrucci, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 Another delay to vaccinating concerns distribution. Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025 Doctors may then recommend an MMR vaccine if you have never been vaccinated or will provide additional care. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025 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

Cite this Entry

“Vaccinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccinate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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 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

vaccinate

2 of 2 noun
vac·​ci·​nate ˈvak-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce vaccinate (audio) -nət How to pronounce vaccinate (audio)
: a vaccinated individual

More from Merriam-Webster on vaccinate

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