verb
vaccinate
VAK-sih-nayt
verb
1
To give someone a vaccine so their body builds protection against a disease.
"The clinic vaccinated hundreds of children against measles last week."
"Vets recommend vaccinating puppies before they mix with other dogs."
How to Use Vaccinate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo give a vaccine shot so the body learns to fight off a disease.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
vaccinate against [disease]
vaccinated children
get vaccinated
Word Forms
vaccinated past tense, vaccinates singular
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The clinic _____ hundreds of children against measles last week.
Etymology
From "vaccine" plus the verb-forming suffix "-ate" — ultimately traced back to Latin vacca, "cow," because the first vaccines used cowpox material.