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Synonyms

HIV

American  

abbreviation

  1. human immunodeficiency virus. AIDS virus

HIV British  

abbreviation

  1. human immunodeficiency virus; the cause of AIDS. Two strains have been identified: HIV-1 and HIV-2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
HIV Scientific  
/ āch′ī-vē′ /

  1. Short for human immunodeficiency virus. Any of various strains of a retrovirus of the genus Lentivirus that cause AIDS by infecting the body's immune system.

HIV Cultural  

  1. An abbreviation for h uman i mmunodeficiency v irus, the virus that causes AIDS.

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.

Microgravity manufacturing has been studied for decades, and several companies, such as Varda Space Industries, which successfully made an HIV medicine in orbit, plan to commercialize it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The updated guidance addresses treatment strategies for a wide range of groups, including pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, adults age 75 and older, and people with conditions such as diabetes, advanced kidney disease, HIV, or cancer.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

Biktarvy, its biggest moneymaker, is one of the most popular HIV treatments worldwide, and has patents protecting its key ingredients through the start of the next decade.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Davies, 62, created the award-winning TV series, which followed a group of gay men and their friends as they navigated the UK's HIV and Aids crisis throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

They’ll offer you an HIV test and, if you’re a girl, a pregnancy test.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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.