vampire
Americannoun
-
a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
-
(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.
-
a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
-
a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
-
an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress.
the vampires of the silent movies.
noun
-
(in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
-
See vampire bat
-
a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
-
See vamp 1
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Mythical Menagerie
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Event Vocabulary for October 28–November 3, 2023
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
Both shows won two awards, as did musical The Lost Boys, the punk-rock adaptation of the 1987 cult vampire film.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
“I don’t want to see some glittery vampire who’s at odds with themselves and, like, can’t go near their human counterpart because they’re scared of eating them. I want to see full bloodthirst.”
From Salon ● May 26, 2024
In that three-year-old brain of Cleo’s, Katrina was probably a big fat vampire lady flying through the air.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
Here the band of vampires led by David is an actual rock band, of a gothic style befitting its members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
I have been rooting for “Sinners” since I saw it almost a year ago — vampires haven’t been used with such spot-on metaphoric resonance since Bram Stoker wrote “Dracula.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 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
Louis says he can never feel warm – a common complaint among vampires, certainly, but in a land ravaged by cruelty it depletes instead of nourishes.
From Salon ● May 13, 2024
Because in case I forgot to mention, some of the pants wearers were vampires or aliens.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
