interferon

noun/ˌɪntərˈfɪrɒn/

Frequency rank: #16,298 most common English word

Meaning

a protein produced by cells in response to a virus that helps inhibit viral replication.

Illustration for the English word “interferon”

Example sentence

Doctors sometimes prescribe interferon to help patients fight certain viral infections.

Synonyms & related words

Practice this word in the quiz

More words in ranks 16,201–16,300