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Definition virus in British English

virus noun

[countable] noun
/ˈvaɪrəs/
1

a simple living thing that is smaller than bacteria and that can enter your body and make you ill. If your body can protect itself against a particular virus, then you are immune to it. A vaccine is a medicine that makes you immune to a particular virus

Example

Malaria is caused by a virus carried by mosquitos.

Example

the AIDS virus

Synonyms and related words
1.1

a disease caused by a virus

Example

I've been in bed all week with a virus.

Synonyms and related words
2

a program that enters your computer and damages or destroys information that you have stored

Example

Most viruses are spread over the Internet.

Synonyms and related words
Definition virus in British English