immunize

Verb

immunize (third-person singular simple present immunizes, present participle immunizing, simple past and past participle immunized)

1. (transitive) To make someone or something immune to something.
   • It is now clear that the brevity of an indecent broadcast – be it word or image – cannot immunize it from FCC censure.2012, Chief Justice John Roberts, 132 US Supreme Court 2677, June 29
2. (transitive) To inoculate someone, and thus produce immunity from a disease.
   • This kind of warfare [i.e., biological] would have us devouring the world’s children in a manner of speaking and those who are immunologically impaired, presuming we were going to immunize our own population but not those of the antagonist. Thus we would be conducting warfare which by definition...1992, Douglas MacLean, quoting Marc Lappé, “Ethics and Biological Defense Research”, in Raymond A[llan] Zilinskas, editor, The Microbiologist and Biological Defense Research: Ethics, Politics, and...
   • At issue is the so-called MMR vaccine, which immunizes children against measles, mumps and rubella, three potentially deadly diseases that were once common and have been mostly wiped out.2002 February 10, Sarah Lyall, “Britain Tries to Quell Fear Over Vaccine for Children”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms:

   inoculate, vaccinate, vaccine