prophylaxis
Americannoun
-
Medicine/Medical.
-
the preventing of disease.
-
the prevention of a specific disease, as by studying the biological behavior, transmission, etc., of its causative agent and applying a series of measures against it.
-
-
prophylactic treatment, as the cleaning of the teeth by a dentist or dental hygienist.
noun
Etymology
Origin of prophylaxis
1835–45; < New Latin < Greek pro- pro- 2 + phýlaxis a watching, guarding, equivalent to phylak- (base of phylássein to guard) + -sis -sis
Explanation
Prophylaxis refers to all the things people do to prevent disease. Prophylaxis is part of medicine. If you've ever heard of someone using prophylactics to prevent a disease — often a sexually transmitted disease — then you have a clue to the meaning of prophylaxis, which refers to the prevention of disease. Anything you do to stay healthy and keep illness at bay would be categorized as prophylaxis. Antibiotic prophylaxis refers to giving patients antibiotics to prevent a bacterial infection, instead of curing an infection that already exists.
Vocabulary lists containing prophylaxis
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Cheaper by the Dozen
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has been used for over a decade to prevent HIV, but its reliance on a daily pill has limited its impact on global infections.
From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025
I started off pretty skeptical about echinacea, but actually, I’m an author on studies showing that echinacea reduces antibiotic usage by about 70 percent in children if they use it as a prophylaxis.
From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025
It is hoped it will replace the current form of HIV preventative drug, know as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is taken orally and also costs $40 per person each year.
From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025
The CDC supports providing such post-exposure prophylaxis to all asymptomatic household contacts within 21 days of when a whooping cough patient starts coughing.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024
Her secret prophylaxis was a white bag, filled and saturated with camphor, which she kept hidden in her bosom.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
