virus

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: vitus, vicus, virtus, viris, girus, virous, varus, vires, irus, verus, virius

Antonyms: vitus, vicus, virtus, viris, girus, virous, varus, vires, irus, verus, virius

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. {{senseid|en|Q808}}A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of [[DNA]] or [[RNA]] surrounded by a [[protein]] coat, that requires a living host [[cell]] to [[replicate]], and that sometimes causes disease in the host organism {{ng|(such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as [[microorganism]]s)}}.
2. {{lb|en|uncountable}} A quantity of such infectious agents, considered [[en masse]].
3. {{lb|en|informal|metonymically}} A disease caused by such an infectious agent; a viral illness.
4. {{lb|en|archaic}} [[venom|Venom]], as produced by a poisonous animal etc.
5. {{lb|en|computing}} A type of [[malware]] which can covertly [[transmit]] itself between computers via networks (especially the Internet) or removable storage such as [[disk]]s by [[insert]]ing its code into other executable files, often causing damage to systems and data; also [[computer virus]].
6. {{lb|en|computing|proscribed}} Any type of [[malware]].
7. {{lb|en|figurative}} Any [[malicious]] or [[dangerous]] entity that [[spread]]s from one place or person to another.

Verb

1. {{lb|en|nonstandard|rare}} To send or infect an electronic device with a [[computer virus]].

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.