virus
IPA: vˈaɪrʌs
noun
- A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure consisting of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and often causes disease in the host organism; such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as microorganisms.
- (uncountable) A quantity of such infectious agents
- (informal, metonymically) A disease caused by such an infectious agent; a viral illness.
- (archaic) Venom, as produced by a poisonous animal etc.
- (computing) A type of malware which can covertly transmit itself between computers via networks (especially the Internet) or removable storage such as disks, often causing damage to systems and data; also computer virus.
- (computing, proscribed) Any type of malware.
- (figurative) Any malicious or dangerous entity that spreads from one place or person to another.
verb
- (nonstandard, rare) To send or infect an electronic device with a computer virus.
Advertisement
Examples of "virus" in Sentences
- The actual virus is the pathogen.
- This favours the spread of the virus.
- The virus was officially named the SARS virus.
- It is a highly variable and transmissible virus.
- The virus tampers with the computer in a variety of ways.
- Maize chlorotic mottle virus is a plant pathogenic virus.
- The Japanese encephalitis virus is a virus from the family Flaviviridae.
- Examples are the bovine leukemia virus and the Human T lymphotropic virus.
- The vaccine is based on the vaccinia virus, a cousin of the smallpox virus.
- The virus has properties similar to those of the pancreatic necrosis virus.
Advertisement
Advertisement