coronavirus
Americannoun
-
coronaviruses
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coronavirus
First recorded in 1965–70; so called from the coronalike array of spikes projecting from the capsid
Compare meaning
How does coronavirus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A coronavirus is a specific type of microbe that can cause an infectious disease. One particular coronavirus, first identified in 2019, caused a worldwide pandemic. If you look at a coronavirus under a microscope, you'll see its round, spiky, crownlike shape. That's where this virus gets its name; corona means "crown" in Latin. People talked about coronaviruses a lot in 2020 because of Covid-19 (an acronym for coronavirus disease of 2019). But these viruses have been around for generations, and they're usually not so deadly. In fact, coronaviruses are responsible for the common cold, as well as illnesses affecting birds and non-human mammals.
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.
See Examples For:
Research into breast cancer or DNA sequencing that helped combat coronavirus could also be honoured.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Dubai’s travel economy has shown some ability to rebound from major shocks, like the coronavirus pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
After teaching herself to play during the coronavirus lockdown, she entered her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Jensen compared the current situation to Feb. 2020, when China had reported the spread of coronavirus and Italy was beginning to feel its effects.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the championship series at the end of an abbreviated season due to the coronavirus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The company plans to focus in coming months on antibodies for coronaviruses, ebola-like viruses, bat-borne viruses, hemorrhagic-fever viruses, smallpox-like viruses and other potential threats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
In the case of a global pandemic “where the whole population gets infected, basically you have a denominator of 7 billion people,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman, a University of Iowa microbiologist who studies coronaviruses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Rather than focusing on a single virus strain, the AI system analyzed genetic information from Sarbeco coronaviruses collected through surveillance programs worldwide.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
The vaccine was engineered to work on all coronaviruses which would include all Covid variants and viruses that infect animals, but could start the next pandemic.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
In coronaviruses, including this one, N plays many roles, including allowing the virus to replicate.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
