vampire
Americannoun
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a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
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(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.
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a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
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a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
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an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress.
the vampires of the silent movies.
noun
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(in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
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See vampire bat
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a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
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See vamp 1
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theatre a trapdoor on a stage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vampire
First recorded in 1725–35; from French or directly from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr, alteration of earlier upir (by confusion with doublets such as vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh “air” (from Slavic vŭ- ), and with intrusive nasal, as in dùbrava, dumbrȁva “grove”); akin to Czech upír, Polish upiór, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ ( Russian upýrʾ ), from unattested Slavic u-pirĭ or ǫ-pirĭ, probably a compound noun formed with unattested root per- “fly, rush” (literal meaning variously interpreted)
Explanation
Although traditionally used to refer to the bloodsucking undead, you can use the noun vampire to describe someone who heartlessly preys on others — a blackmailer, or anyone else who just sucks the life out of you. Vampire first appeared as a word in English in the early 1700’s, but folklore surrounding undead creatures that feed off of human blood has been around since the earliest times. Among many supposed abilities, vampires are sometimes believed to be able to take the form of a bat. The word vampire is also used to refer to non-mythical “vampire bats” which are native to the Americas and really do feed on blood.
Vocabulary lists containing vampire
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 8–May 14, 2021
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A Mythical Menagerie
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This Week in Words: Current Event Vocabulary for October 28–November 3, 2023
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The Lost Boys,” a musical spun from Joel Schumacher’s 1987 horror comedy, won me over despite my antipathy to vampire schlock.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Like many lonely kids, she retreated into her imagination, where Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels became her lifeline.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The 1987 vampire movie becomes an overblown and overly sincere musical in a production directed by Tony winner Michael Arden.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi used similar language in 2010, calling External link Goldman Sachs “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity.”
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
The just and perfect Willis Hurd walked past him easily, but the fog embraced Turner like a vampire, and it whispered, “You are not one of us.”
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
