vampire
Americannoun
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vampires
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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)
Explanation
Although traditionally used to refer to the bloodsucking undead, you can use the noun vampire to describe someone who heartlessly preys on others — a blackmailer, or anyone else who just sucks the life out of you. Vampire first appeared as a word in English in the early 1700’s, but folklore surrounding undead creatures that feed off of human blood has been around since the earliest times. Among many supposed abilities, vampires are sometimes believed to be able to take the form of a bat. The word vampire is also used to refer to non-mythical “vampire bats” which are native to the Americas and really do feed on blood.
Vocabulary lists containing vampire
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 8–May 14, 2021
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A Mythical Menagerie
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This Week in Words: Current Event Vocabulary for October 28–November 3, 2023
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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:
The vampire schedule applies not just to drivers but all 3,000 team members, organizers and support crew traveling with them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
These experiences came to mind while hearing Danny take on a yet-to-be-previously attempted vampire voice as he dodged dirty looks and jettisoned drinkware.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
His last film role had been as the sinister Mystery Man, with a vampire pallor and no eyebrows, in David Lynch’s dreamlike 1997 thriller “Lost Highway.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
A revamped vampire tale: The Lost Boys, one of the 1980s’ campiest cult classics, just got adapted into a Broadway musical.
From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026
Maybe Albert Nightingale was like a vampire in a novel, doomed to witness centuries going by.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
Teenagers everywhere fell under the spell of Rice’s vampires in the mid-‘80s with an ardor that AMC’s “The Vampire Lestat” radiates through the devotion of his superfans.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis — the actors who terrorized the juke joint as bloodthirsty vampires in the movie — also snaked their way onto the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
“The minute they get a whiff of vampires and all that, they immediately check out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
After his arrest he protested his innocence, but during his two-week trial it emerged that he was obsessed with vampires and wanted to become one in a quest for immortality.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
“He agreed, and then confirmed that for everyone’s safety, you had to kill the vampires, yes?”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
