rhinovirus

American  

[rahy-noh-vahy-ruhs, rahy-noh-vahy-] / ˌraɪ noʊˈvaɪ rəs, ˈraɪ noʊˌvaɪ- /

noun

• rhinoviruses
  plural

1. any of a varied and widespread group of picornaviruses responsible for many respiratory diseases, including the common cold.

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rhinovirus British  

/ ˈraɪnəʊˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. any of various viruses that occur in the human respiratory tract and cause diseases, such as the common cold

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rhinovirus Scientific  

/ rī′nō-vī′rəs /

1. Any of a group of viruses of the family Picornaviridae and the genus Rhinovirus that cause the common cold.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rhinoviruses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rhinovirus

First recorded in 1960–65; rhino- + virus

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhinovirus rhinoviruses

When nasal cells detect rhinovirus, they release interferons that activate antiviral defenses not only in infected cells but also in nearby healthy cells.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2026

To help understand why, her group grew nasal tissue in a lab, allowing them to study cellular and molecular changes in the nose and lung lining when those cells are exposed to rhinovirus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

And the reason there is not a rhinovirus vaccine is because there are about 180 different rhinoviruses circulating, and they’re all distinct from each other.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025

Contributing factors in his death were listed as COVID-19, adenovirus and rhinovirus, the autopsy showed.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024

Imagine someone sneezing in a crowded elevator, releasing into the air ten variants of a rhinovirus, the kind of virus that causes the common cold.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Winter brings a surge of respiratory illnesses, including rhinoviruses, the most frequent cause of the common cold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

And the reason there is not a rhinovirus vaccine is because there are about 180 different rhinoviruses circulating, and they’re all distinct from each other.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025

There are other viruses also causing illness, including rhinoviruses and enteroviruses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2023

Infectious disease experts have noted that other respiratory illnesses, such as rhinoviruses and adenoviruses, are also circulating.

From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2022

Untangling such interference hasn’t been easy given the number of respiratory viruses—coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, RSV, and influenza are just among the best known—and the many infections that escape notice.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 17, 2022