Sample Sentences for
virus
grouped by contextual meaning
(editor-reviewed)

virus as in:  Covid 19 virus

The common cold is caused by a virus.
virus = a tiny organism that causes disease
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • Antibiotics don't work against viruses.
  • The virus mutated, so that this year's flu shot won't protect against it.
  • The vaccine consisted of a live rabies virus, genetically modified to be nonvirulent.  (source)
    virus = tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
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Show 10 more with 5 word variations
  • Our tribes got much bigger, and we spread across the entire planet like an unstoppable virus.  (source)
    virus = a tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
  • Blamed on bad shellfish, elusive viruses, or an overlooked weakness in the aorta.†  (source)
  • Father Mulligan had died four years ago of viral hepatitis, in an ashram north of Rishikesh.  (source)
    viral = from a tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
  • THEY TAKE ME to a quarantined floor at the base hospital reserved for plague victims, nicknamed the Zombie Ward, where I get an armful of morphine and a powerful cocktail of antiviral drugs.†  (source)
    standard prefix: The prefix "anti-" in antiviral means against or opposite. This is the same pattern you see in words like antibacterial, antiaircraft, and antisocial.
  • A murmur spread virally through the courtroom, something that always happened in the wake of hearing that not-guilty plea, and that always seemed ridiculous to Alex-what was the defendant supposed to do?†  (source)
  • "That's right," she says, and hope spreads through me like a virus.  (source)
    virus = tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
  • Finally, it was rumored, there would be complete information-sharing among all of these previously disconnected and even adversarial entities, and when they were coordinated, and once all the health data they'd collected was shared, most of this made possible through the Circle and more important, TruYou, viruses could be stopped at their sources, diseases would be tracked to their roots.†  (source)
  • I don't know, but the fact that her temperature is fluctuating indicates that it's not flu or any other viral infection.  (source)
    viral = from a tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
  • It was soon recognized that the drug was a broad-spectrum antiviral agent.†  (source)
  • There was concern as to whether it was infected, but they came to the conclusion that such thoughts were unfounded. This was no virus Max was suffering from, so they carried it [the mattress] up and replaced the sheet.  (source)
    virus = a tiny germ that causes disease by taking over cells
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virus as in:  computer virus

WannaCry was a ransomware computer virus that took over computer data unless a ransom was paid.
virus = a type of software that spreads without invitation between computers and causes damage to data and software
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • She avoided opening the suspicious email attachment, worried it might contain a virus that could damage his computer.
  • It turns out we were hit by a virus that wiped out the entire district server.  (source)
  • The Chinese are denying responsibility, but the bigger issue now is the Scramble virus that has infected logistics systems—  (source)
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Show 10 more with 3 word variations
  • But if you have an antivirus, a cure or a vaccine to the virus, you can "Control it," Kara finished.†  (source)
    standard prefix: The prefix "anti-" in antivirus means against or opposite. This is the same pattern you see in words like antibacterial, antiaircraft, and antisocial.
  • Kind of in the same way that a virus moves from one computer to another, damaging each computer in the same way.  (source)
    virus = a type of software that spreads without invitation between computers and causes damage to data and software
  • Salander and Plague thereafter had the opportunity, if not to hack into, at least to devastatingly disrupt the police intranet with viruses of various types—an activity in which neither of them had the slightest interest.  (source)
    viruses = software that spreads without invitation between computers and causes damage to data and software
  • According to Monique, they had those five days to acquire an antivirus.†  (source)
  • Does the message contain a virus?  (source)
  • On the contrary—they were hackers and consequently implacable adversaries of those idiots who created viruses whose sole purpose was to sabotage the Net and crash computers.  (source)
  • He hasn't heard about the antivirus that we have, so he thinks it's safe to kill me.†  (source)
  • 'FedEx and UPS have ground to a complete standstill today due to what they say is a virus in their logistics shipping software  (source)
    virus = a type of software that spreads without invitation between computers and causes damage to data and software
  • But they were every one of them computer wizards, and they were well versed in the art of contriving viruses.  (source)
    viruses = software that spreads without invitation between computers and causes damage to data and software
  • But he'd also learned about the antivirus.†  (source)
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viral as in:  it went viral

The video of the baby goat went viral overnight and was shared by millions.
viral = spread rapidly online
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • The dance challenge became viral on TikTok, with people all over the world joining in.
  • Does every viral idea have a biological virus counterpart?  (source)
    viral = spreading rapidly and widely from person to person -- especially through the internet or social media
  • She got in touch after the video went viral.  (source)
    viral = spread rapidly online
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Show 5 more
  • I was driving, and Daisy was talking about how her most recent fic had sort of gone viral in the Star Wars fan-fiction world and how she had tons of kudos on it and how she'd had to stay up all night to finish this paper on "The Scarlet Letter" and how she could maybe finally get some sleep now that she was "retiring" from Chuck E. Cheese's, and I felt fine.  (source)
    viral = spreading rapidly and widely
  • Some hackers in the East Village figured out a way to upload the mesh software wirelessly, and it's really gone viral now.  (source)
    viral = spreading rapidly
  • Once the video of Trish begging the woman at the ticket counter to give her the last seat on the flight to Albany even though she was not a member of the frequent flyer program went viral, the airline decided not to press charges after all.  (source)
    viral = spread rapidly online
  • Collateral Damage came out two years ago, and within a month of its release, the single "Animate" had broken onto the national charts and gone viral.  (source)
  • Her job was to disseminate YouTube clips of reactionary political debates by random talking heads on various shows, generate controversy, and make the clips go viral.  (source)
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