virus
nounUK /ˈvaɪ.rəs/
US /ˈvaɪ.rəs/
A virus is a tiny germ that can make you sick.
The virus spread quickly through the school.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A piece of computer code that can harm files or programs.
My laptop got a virus and stopped working.
3. Something harmful that spreads quickly among people, like a bad idea or feeling.
A virus of fear spread through the crowd.
4. A tiny living thing that can only grow inside other living cells.
Scientists studied the virus under a microscope.