virus

virus — 名詞

1. a microscopic particle that enters the body of a living creature and multiplies

1.名詞B1
釋義

病毒

導致疾病的微小傳染原

a microscopic particle that enters the body of a living creature and multiplies inside its cells, often causing illness or disease

例句

Valentina caught a virus that kept her home from school for a week.

Valentina 感染了一種病毒，一整個星期都無法上學。

collocation: catch a virus

The influenza virus spreads through the air when people cough or sneeze.

流感病毒會在人咳嗽或打噴嚏時透過空氣傳播。

同義詞
  • germ

    broader term that includes bacteria and other microorganisms; less precise than virus

  • pathogen

    formal scientific term for any disease-causing agent, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi

  • microbe

    very broad term for any microscopic organism, not all of which cause disease

文法句型

virus + spread / infect / enter

catch / carry / transmit + a virus

用法筆記

Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and do not respond to antibiotics. They are often named after the disease they cause (e.g., influenza virus, HIV) or their physical shape (e.g., coronavirus from its crown-like spikes).

常見錯誤

❌I took antibiotics for my virus.
✅I rested and drank fluids for my virus.
💡Antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses.

2. a particular sickness or infection that is caused when a virus enters and multip

2.名詞B1
釋義

病毒感染

病毒引起的疾病或感染

a particular sickness or infection that is caused when a virus enters and multiplies inside the body

例句

Bilal stayed in bed for three days with a nasty virus.

Bilal 因為感染了嚴重的病毒，在床上躺了三天。

collocation: have / stay in bed with a virus

The doctor said the virus would go away on its own within a week.

醫生說這種病毒感染一週內就會自行好轉。

同義詞
  • infection

    broader term; an infection can be caused by bacteria, fungi, or parasites, not just viruses

  • bug

    informal word for a minor illness, often interchangeable with virus in casual speech

  • illness

    general term for any health problem; less specific than virus about the cause

文法句型

have / get / catch + a virus

a + [type] + virus

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 refers to the illness you experience ('I have a virus' = I feel sick), while sense 1 refers to the microorganism itself (a virus can be studied under a microscope even when nobody is ill). In casual speech, sense 2 is often used with a descriptive word like stomach virus or flu virus.

常見錯誤

❌I caught a bacterial virus.
✅I caught a bacterial infection.
💡Only illnesses caused by viruses are called viruses. Bacteria cause bacterial infections.

3. a piece of hidden computer code that copies itself from one machine to another,

3.名詞B1
釋義

電腦病毒

會自我複製的惡意程式

a piece of hidden computer code that copies itself from one machine to another, often designed to damage files, steal data, or stop a system from working

例句

Haruto's laptop stopped working after a virus infected his files.

Haruto 的筆記型電腦感染病毒後就無法正常運作了。

collocation: virus infects [computer/files]

The virus spread through the office network and erased important documents.

這種電腦病毒在辦公室網路中傳播，刪除了重要的文件。

同義詞
  • malware

    umbrella term for all harmful software; a virus is one type of malware

  • worm

    similar self-copying program, but spreads through networks without needing to attach to a file

  • trojan

    appears harmless or useful but secretly carries harmful code; does not copy itself

文法句型

virus + infect / damage / spread

download / install / remove + a virus

用法筆記

A computer virus is one type of malware. Unlike a worm (which spreads without human help) or a trojan (which pretends to be safe), a virus usually attaches itself to a legitimate program and needs a user action (like opening a file) to run. Antivirus software scans for and removes viruses.

常見錯誤

❌My computer has a bug.' (when meaning a harmful program)
✅My computer has a virus.
💡A bug is a software error that causes unexpected behavior, not a malicious program that copies itself.

4. something damaging, such as a belief, attitude, or behaviour, that spreads quick

4.名詞C1
釋義

毒害

有害思想或行為的蔓延

something damaging, such as a belief, attitude, or behaviour, that spreads quickly through a group or society and causes harm

例句

The virus of hate spread through the community after the disputed election.

仇恨的毒害在有爭議的選舉後於社區中蔓延開來。

figurative: the virus of [negative quality]

Nationalist ideas became a virus that harmed the country's public life.

民族主義思想成了一種毒害，危害了國家的公共生活。

同義詞
  • poison

    suggests direct, static harm rather than self-replicating spread

  • contagion

    focuses on the act of spreading from person to person; used more in sociological contexts

  • cancer

    implies a destructive growth within an organization; more aggressive and invasive than virus

反義詞
  • cure

    something that stops the harmful spread or heals the damage

文法句型

the virus of + [abstract noun]

virus + spread / infect / corrupt

用法筆記

Always figurative. The most common structure is 'the virus of [abstract noun]', especially in political or social commentary. This sense draws a direct analogy with biological viruses: both enter a host unnoticed, multiply, and cause widespread damage.

常見錯誤

❌The virus of kindness spread through the town.' (positive use)
✅False rumours spread through the town like a virus.
💡The figurative use of virus describes something harmful, not something positive. Use the phrase 'spread like a virus' to describe any rapid spread, but avoid pairing 'virus' with positive qualities.