coronavirus
noun
co·ro·na·vi·rus
kə-ˈrō-nə-ˌvī-rəs 
plural coronaviruses
1
: any of a family (Coronaviridae) of large single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped spike proteins, infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19
Coronaviruses can cause a variety of illnesses in animals, but in people coronaviruses cause one-third of common colds and sometimes respiratory infections in premature infants.—
Rob Stein
Rob Stein… in 2003 a previously unknown coronavirus caused an outbreak of SARS in humans.—Ali Moh Zaki et al.
—abbreviation CoV, CV
Ali Moh Zaki et al.2
: an illness caused by a coronavirus
especially
: covid-19
Italy has seen the most coronavirus cases in Europe, with more than 2,000 people ill and 76 deaths associated with COVID-19. —Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
—abbreviation CV
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News Examples of coronavirus in a Sentence
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The memo noted that San Jose police were already in compliance, having hidden most of their day-to-day dispatch channels from the public a year before, amid the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
In 2024, employee engagement fell to 21%, matching the drop during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Gallup.
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Ivermectin — the drug that ignited a firestorm of controversy during the coronavirus pandemic — is now available over the counter in some US states.
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Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
In 2024, employee engagement fell to 21%, matching the drop during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Gallup.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Ivermectin — the drug that ignited a firestorm of controversy during the coronavirus pandemic — is now available over the counter in some US states.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Various states have such waivers in place, such as changing the work requirements for benefits, and they were widely implemented during the coronavirus pandemic to enhance access to food benefits.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coronavirus
Cite this Entry
“Coronavirus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coronavirus. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
coronavirus
noun
co·ro·na·vi·rus
kə-ˈrō-nə-ˌvī-rəs
1
: any of a family (Coronaviridae) of large, single-stranded, RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped spike proteins , infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of blue comb, feline infectious peritonitis, COVID-19, MERS, and SARS
Coronaviruses can cause a variety of illnesses in animals, but in people coronaviruses cause one-third of common colds and sometimes respiratory infections in premature infants.—Rob Stein, The Washington Post
—abbreviation CoV, CV
Rob Stein, The Washington Post2
: an illness caused by a coronavirus
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