coronavirus

American  

[kuh-roh-nuh-vahy-ruhs] / kəˈroʊ nəˌvaɪ rəs /

noun

plural

coronaviruses

1. any of various RNA-containing spherical viruses of the family Coronaviridae, including several that cause acute respiratory illnesses.

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coronavirus British  

/ kəˈrəʊnəˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. a type of airborne virus accounting for 10-30% of all colds

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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:

• bubonic plague vs. coronavirus

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

It’s notable that concentrations of the coronavirus in wastewater have been relatively low and, as a result, “it is hard to obtain high-quality, high-confidence sequences,” Boehm said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

During the coronavirus pandemic, she rewatched all of the "Twilight" vampire romance films, which were released from 2008 to 2012, and Bollywood flicks from the 1990s.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Cuba was already facing its worst economic and energy crisis since the end of the Cold War, because of a combination of a fall in tourism after the coronavirus pandemic and government economic mismanagement.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

The unemployment rate shot up to a post-World War II peak of 10.8% in 1982, a height only exceeded, briefly, after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic six years ago.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

In 2020, Justin joined the Washington bureau on temporary assignment to report on the U.S. economy’s struggles in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026