Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

vampire

[ vam-pahyuhr ]

noun

  1. a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
  2. (in Eastern European folklore) a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.
  3. a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
  4. a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
  5. an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress:

    the vampires of the silent movies.



vampire

/ ˈvæmpaɪə; væmˈpɪrɪk /

noun

  1. (in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
  2. a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
  3. See vamp 1
  4. theatre a trapdoor on a stage
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • vampiric, adjective
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • ·辱· [vam-, pir, -ik], ·辱· [vam, -pahy, uh, r-ish], adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vampire1

First recorded in 1725–35; from French or directly from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian àī, alteration of earlier upir (by confusion with doublets such as vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh “air” (from Slavic ŭ- ), and with intrusive nasal, as in dùbrava, dumbrȁva “grove”); akin to Czech ܱí, Polish ܱ辱ó, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ ( Russian ܱýʾ ), from unattested Slavic -辱ĭ or ǫ-辱ĭ, probably a compound noun formed with unattested root per- “fly, rush” (literal meaning variously interpreted)
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vampire1

C18: from French, from German Vampir, from Magyar; perhaps related to Turkish uber witch, Russian upyr vampire
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But Mr. Coogler's choice to allow Black history to frame a vampire movie gives viewers and critics enough to reflect on, write about, and use as a foundation for future learning.

From

I fell in love with vampire movies after seeing the 1987 film “The Lost Boys.”

From

“Sinners” features a refreshingly original plot that is part Jim Crow period piece about two brothers who open a juke joint, part vampire thriller.

From

“Sinners,” the highly anticipated period drama delivering a mashup of horror, music and vampires, scored a solid opening, topping the holiday box office with $45.6 million.

From

Structurally, the vampires don’t appear until the second half, which gives us plenty of time to get into rhythm with our human characters.

From

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


vamphornvampire bat