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.
Prior to taking office, the Louisiana senator had personally led a campaign to vaccinate 36,000 kids against hepatitis B. Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025 Relief funds during the coronavirus pandemic helped people avoid eviction and educated those reluctant to get vaccinated. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025 Even after regular vaccination resumed, some parents were afraid to have their children vaccinated, worsening a dramatic drop in the small South Pacific nation’s vaccination rates. Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025 Catch up quick: More than 8,000 service members were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated under a 2021 memorandum. Avery Lotz, Axios, 28 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near vaccinate

Cite this Entry

“Vaccinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccinate. Accessed 11 Feb. 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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