noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:IH2 M Y UW0 N AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The process by which a person is safely exposed in a controlled manner to a material that is designed to prime their immune system against that material.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, uncountable
Examples
Near-synonym: vaccination (broadly synonymous)
Immunization against influenza is important for all child-care workers.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: vaccination[Appendix:Glossary
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
One such exposure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable
Examples
The first immunization a baby gets is against HBV.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The process by which any organism's body develops immunity against a pathogen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, uncountable
Examples
Immunization via previous infection is not unusual among infectious diseases, but the degree and duration of such immunization varies by disease and depends on other factors as well (such as immunocapability and dietary sufficiency).
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the act of making immune (especially by inoculation)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
