viral

[ vahy-ruhl ]

/ ˈvaɪ rəl /

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adjective

of, relating to, or caused by a virus.

pertaining to or involving the spreading of information and opinions about a product or service from person to person, especially on the internet or in emails: a clever viral ad.See also viral marketing.

becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the internet: the most memorable viral videos;This book is already viral two weeks before its official publication date.

pertaining to a computer virus.

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Idioms about viral

go viral, to spread rapidly via the internet, email, or other media: Footage of the candidate's off-color remarks went viral within minutes.

Origin of viral

First recorded in 1935–40; vir(us) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM viral

an·ti·vi·ral, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH viral

viral , virile

Words nearby viral

Vira-A, Viracept, viraemia, viraginity, virago, viral, viral antigen, viral dysentery, viral envelope, viral hemagglutination, viral hepatitis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use viral in a sentence

The post How TheSoul Publishing grew revenue via platforms with viral social media life hacks appeared first on Digiday.
How TheSoul Publishing grew revenue via platforms with viral social media life hacks|Kayleigh Barber|February 12, 2021|Digiday
The new button could also potentially drive significant traffic to Whisk — especially if a particular recipe went viral — like the “TikTok Pasta” videos have in recent days.
TikTok partners with Whisk to pilot a recipe-saving feature on food videos|Sarah Perez|February 11, 2021|TechCrunch
In an analysis of viral misinformation on Facebook last year, Avaaz found that 20 percent of Spanish-language posts received warning labels, compared with 70 percent in English.
Among Latino immigrants, false vaccine claims are spreading as fast as the virus|Teo Armus|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
As the Hollywood Reporter noted, Carano was slated to star in her own “Star Wars” spinoff, but Disney scrapped the idea after her November tweets on the election and coronavirus went viral.
Gina Carano is off ‘The Mandalorian’ over ‘abhorrent and unacceptable’ social media posts, Lucasfilm says|Timothy Bella|February 11, 2021|Washington Post

In the years that followed, several stunt videos featuring the company’s robots have gone viral, showing them dancing, sprinting and performing tricks.
Boston Dynamics adds an ‘arm’ to its robotic dog Spot|Dalvin Brown|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
That video of you doing all the New York impressions went viral.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Brooklyn musician Bobby Shmurda, whose ‘Shmoney Dance’ went viral, was arrested today on ‘gang conspiracy’ charges, police said.
Rapper Bobby Shmurda Arrested at New York’s Notorious Quad Studios|M.L. Nestel|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite the acclaim and the viral popularity, the band has never lost that independant creative spirit.
OK Go Is Helping Redefine the Music Video For the Internet Age|Lauren Schwartzberg|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The clip received heaps of Internet criticism after it went viral, and has since been pulled down from state channels.
Hitler is Huge in Thailand: Chicken Joints, T-Shirts, and A Govt.-Issued Propaganda Video|Marlow Stern|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The very nature of going “viral” is that it requires the content to be instantly, freely shareable.
Death of the Author by Viral Infection: In Defense of Taylor Swift, Digital Doomsayer|Arthur Chu|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Secondary invaders and pus-forming bacteria follow the viral destruction of the lung tissue and form abscesses.
Pandemic|Jesse Franklin Bone

British Dictionary definitions for viral

viral

/ (ˈvaɪrəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or caused by a virus

(of a video, image, story, etc) spread quickly and widely among internet users via social networking sites, e-mail, etc

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

Medical definitions for viral

viral

[ vī′rəl ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or caused by a virus.

viral

Idioms about viral

Origin of viral

OTHER WORDS FROM viral

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH viral

Words nearby viral

Words related to viral

How to use viral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for viral

Medical definitions for viral