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:
Pattinson, 40, became something of a pin-up after playing vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight series, alongside American actress Kristen Stewart.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
All 349 “murmurs” in the Twilight saga: In this very scientific investigation, Rachelle Hampton ranked and charted all the times Stephenie Meyer used the word murmur in her YA vampire series.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
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
Not a vampire, but a pretty singer, belting out her song.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
Remember that if you tire of vampires, you can always turn to the literature of werewolves, demons and revenants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
From Lord Ruthven to Edward Cullen, vampires of print and film have long been ascribed Byronic glamour and charisma.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Even with the older vampires, they’re different ethnicities; diverse backgrounds.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Premiering Thursday, it’s a sort of bourgeois, non-gothic “What We Do in the Shadows” set among a group of vampires living together in Seattle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In her week in the world of Cittàgazze, she had seen enough devastation, enough Specter-eaten adults and wild, scavenging children, to have a horror of those ethereal vampires.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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