vancomycin

American

[vang-kuh-mahy-sin, van-] / ˌvæŋ kəˈmaɪ sɪn, ˌvæn- /

noun

Pharmacology.

a bactericidal antibiotic, C 66 H 75 ClN 9 O 24 , produced by Streptomyces orientalis, used in the treatment of antibiotic-associated colitis and endocarditis.

vancomycin British

/ ˌvænkəʊˈmaɪsɪn /

noun

an antibiotic effective against most Gram-positive organisms. It is given by intravenous infusions for serious infections that are resistant to other antibiotics

"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

Etymology

Origin of vancomycin

First recorded in 1956; vanco- (of unexplained origin) + -mycin

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:

vancomycin

Both pathogens can develop resistance and become "superbugs" that evade frontline drugs such as vancomycin.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

When drug-resistant E. faecium was treated with both vancomycin and pghi-4, the antibiotic regained its ability to kill the bacteria.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Encouragingly, the research team found no evidence of bacterial resistance to pre-methylenomycin C lactone in Enterococcus under conditions that typically lead to resistance against vancomycin.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2025

They observed that mutants that lacked both the Bam and TamAB complexes were sensitive to vancomycin.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2024

This result is particularly intriguing because vancomycin is not used to treat Salmonella since it can't cross the outer membrane.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023