intravenous
Americanadjective
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within a vein.
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of, pertaining to, employed in, or administered by injection into a vein.
an intravenous solution.
noun
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an intravenous injection.
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intravenous feeding. IV
adjective
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Existing or occurring within a vein.
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Administered into a vein, as an injection.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intravenous
Explanation
If you're severely dehydrated, your nurse will rig up an intravenous drip to get liquid into you: she'll skip your mouth and plug directly into your veins. Intravenous can be broken down to intra-, meaning "within" or "via," and venous, meaning "of the veins." Often in hospitals you will be given water or nutrients from intravenous drips — you've surely seen these on TV if not at the hospital: plastic bags of liquid connected to a tube going into someone's arm. It's a way to get needed stuff into your body without waiting for the digestive system to handle it.
Vocabulary lists containing intravenous
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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.
This includes oxygen and ventilation to help with breathing, and intravenous fluids to stop dehydration and provide electrolytes lost in vomiting and diarrhoea.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Specifically, Kelonia is developing intravenous “in vivo” cell therapies—next-generation genetic medicines that reprogram white blood cells directly inside the body.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
Children with this condition often depend on long-term intravenous feeding through a pump.
From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026
Traditionally, CD40 therapies were given through intravenous infusion.
From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026
“You are still in intravenous antibiotics and—” “I have to go,” I said.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
