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vampire

American  
[vam-pahyuhr] / ˈvæm paɪər /

noun

  1. a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.

  2. (in Eastern European folklore) a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.

  3. a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.

  4. a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.

  5. an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress.

    the vampires of the silent movies.
vampire British  
/ ˈvæmpaɪə, væmˈpɪrɪk /

noun

  1. (in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living

  2. See vampire bat

  3. a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer

  4. See vamp 1

  5. theatre a trapdoor on a stage

"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

Other Word Forms

  • vampiric adjective
  • vampirish adjective

Etymology

Origin of vampire

First recorded in 1725–35; from French or directly from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr, alteration of earlier upir (by confusion with doublets such as vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh “air” (from Slavic vŭ- ), and with intrusive nasal, as in dùbrava, dumbrȁva “grove”); akin to Czech upír, Polish upiór, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ ( Russian upýrʾ ), from unattested Slavic u-pirĭ or ǫ-pirĭ, probably a compound noun formed with unattested root per- “fly, rush” (literal meaning variously interpreted)

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.

AMC Networks, the cable home of “The Walking Dead” and adaptations of Anne Rice’s vampire novels, is getting a new name to reflect its shift to streaming and program production.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 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

David Boreanaz, Buffy’s vampire love interest Angel, praised Brendon’s authenticity and spirit, emphasizing the depth of their personal friendship beyond the show.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

There might be 10 films nominated for best picture, but the race for the top category has boiled down to two films - political thriller One Battle After Another and vampire horror Sinners.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry’s hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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.