vampire
Americannoun
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a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
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(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.
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a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
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a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
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an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress.
the vampires of the silent movies.
noun
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(in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
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See vampire bat
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a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
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See vamp 1
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theatre a trapdoor on a stage
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.
An offbeat political thriller, a vampire horror film and a period drama about Shakespeare will go head-to-head Sunday at the BAFTAs, Britain's biggest film awards, setting the stage for the Oscars.
From Barron's
Before the night goes to vampire hell, all eyes are on Sammie in earthy and gold tones as he sings “I Lied to You.”
From Los Angeles Times
In the film, she returns to life to hunt down a magic book which has the potential to kill all vampires.
From Barron's
Pirogova documents her treatment on Instagram, posting videos that she once jokingly called "the diary of a vampire".
From Barron's
We’ve had vampire movies before, but, you know, you get the “Transformer 12”s and “Expendable 32”s.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
