: 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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But in the wake of the AIDS epidemic, and the disappearance of many urban cruising grounds in response to health ordinances and gentrification, an in-person practice shifted online.
—
Emily Witt, New Yorker, 24 July 2025
The doc will reveal her story along with a new , personal take on Mercury’s early life in Zanzibar, his rock superstardom and tragic death in 1991 from complications of AIDS.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 July 2025
The center receives funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, the largest federal program for HIV in America.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
In the 1980s America of Ronald Reagan, the AIDS and crack epidemics, and the initial explosion of brands like Apple and Nike, the show was a unicorn.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
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Emily Witt, New Yorker, 24 July 2025
The doc will reveal her story along with a new , personal take on Mercury’s early life in Zanzibar, his rock superstardom and tragic death in 1991 from complications of AIDS.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 July 2025
The center receives funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, the largest federal program for HIV in America.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
In the 1980s America of Ronald Reagan, the AIDS and crack epidemics, and the initial explosion of brands like Apple and Nike, the show was a unicorn.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for AIDS
Cite this Entry
“AIDS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/AIDS. Accessed 29 Jul. 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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