: a disease of the human immune system that is characterized cytologically especially by reduction in the numbers of CD4-bearing helper T cells to 20 percent or less of normal thereby rendering the subject highly vulnerable to life-threatening conditions (such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) and to some (such as Kaposi's sarcoma) that become life-threatening and that is caused by infection with HIV commonly transmitted in infected blood especially during illicit intravenous drug use and in bodily secretions (such as semen) during sexual intercourse
Examples of AIDS in a Sentence
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By the ’90s, as the AIDS epidemic devastated precisely the artistic and LGBT+ communities that made up Atlas’s milieu, much of his work became forged by a sense of loss, danger, and violence.
—
Beatrice Loayza, ARTnews.com, 6 Feb. 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said his country had not seized land and that other than a program to battle H.I.V. and AIDS, South Africa receives no funding from the United States.
—Karen Yourish, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025
The network has previously worked with groups like The CHANGE Agenda and the International AIDS Society to distribute information and increase access to healthcare, especially among LGBTQ+ youth.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 Feb. 2025
Other Trump critics are worried about the humanitarian impact of cutting aid programs—Newsweek has reported on an AIDS foundation's estimation that more than 100,000 babies could be born with HIV as a result of Trump's freeze.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
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Beatrice Loayza, ARTnews.com, 6 Feb. 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said his country had not seized land and that other than a program to battle H.I.V. and AIDS, South Africa receives no funding from the United States.
—Karen Yourish, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025
The network has previously worked with groups like The CHANGE Agenda and the International AIDS Society to distribute information and increase access to healthcare, especially among LGBTQ+ youth.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 Feb. 2025
Other Trump critics are worried about the humanitarian impact of cutting aid programs—Newsweek has reported on an AIDS foundation's estimation that more than 100,000 babies could be born with HIV as a result of Trump's freeze.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for AIDS
Dictionary Entries Near AIDS
Cite this Entry
“AIDS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/AIDS. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
AIDS
noun
: a serious disease of the human immune system marked by destruction of a large proportion of the helper T cells in the body due to infection by the HIV virus commonly transmitted especially in blood and semen
Medical Definition
AIDS
noun
: a disease of the human immune system that is characterized cytologically especially by a reduction in the numbers of CD4-bearing helper T cells to 20 percent or less of normal thereby rendering the subject highly vulnerable to life-threatening conditions (as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) and to some that become life threatening (as Kaposi's sarcoma) and that is caused by infection with HIV commonly transmitted in infected blood especially during illicit intravenous drug use and in bodily secretions (as semen) during sexual intercourse
called also acquired immune deficiency syndrome, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
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