inoculation
noun
in·oc·u·la·tion
i-ˌnä-kyə-ˈlā-shən 
1
: the act or process or an instance of inoculating
especially
: the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into a living organism to stimulate the production of antibodies
2
: inoculum
Examples of inoculation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Measles is a very contagious respiratory disease that was declared to be eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to high rates of inoculation with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as the MMR shot.
—
Pien Huang, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
Early in his life, Franklin was opposed to smallpox inoculation and even used his older brother’s printing press to spread anti-vaccine sentiments—at times inadvertently stoking violence against vaccine proponents.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Jurin then compared the level of risk with the larger risk of dying from contracting actual smallpox and found that inoculation was safer.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
The first round was completed in mid-September with the second round beginning in mid-October with brief humanitarian pauses to allow for inoculation.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inoculation
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Pien Huang, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
Early in his life, Franklin was opposed to smallpox inoculation and even used his older brother’s printing press to spread anti-vaccine sentiments—at times inadvertently stoking violence against vaccine proponents.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Jurin then compared the level of risk with the larger risk of dying from contracting actual smallpox and found that inoculation was safer.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
The first round was completed in mid-September with the second round beginning in mid-October with brief humanitarian pauses to allow for inoculation.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inoculation
Cite this Entry
“Inoculation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inoculation. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inoculation
noun
in·oc·u·la·tion
in-ˌäk-yə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the act or an instance of inoculating
2
: material used in inoculating
Medical Definition
inoculation
noun
in·oc·u·la·tion
in-ˌäk-yə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the act or process or an instance of inoculating: as
a
: the introduction of a microorganism into a medium suitable for its growth
b(1)
: the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into a living organism to stimulate the production of antibodies
(2)
: the introduction of a vaccine or serum into a living organism to confer immunity
travelers in the tropics should have typhoid inoculations
2
: inoculum
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