vampires

Cultural

Originally part of central European folklore, they now appear in horror stories as living corpses who need to feed on human blood. A vampire will leave his coffin at night, disguised as a great bat, to seek his innocent victims, bite their necks with his long, sharp teeth, and suck their blood.

Discover More

The most famous vampire is Count Dracula, from the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vampires, like rock stars, are the ultimate free spirits released from morality and the laws binding humans who can’t afford expensive lawyers.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

Vampires, elves, clowns are the things inspiring my work right now.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Vampires have been in vogue for some time, but usually in more extrapolated interpretations with greater sympathies for vampires — elegant, sexy or childlike — as worldly outsiders.

From Washington Times • Apr. 14, 2023

Vampires know what they are, unlike most zombies who know only chomping.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022

“It’d be worth more than his family’s whole house —” Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, “Look out!”

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023