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Medicine vocabulary · Prescriptions and Medication

Injection

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ɪnˈdʒekʃən/nounCore term

In medicine, injection means: A way of giving a medicine or vaccine through a needle into the body, for example into a muscle, under the skin or into a vein.

In Turkish: enjeksiyon, iğne

How it is used

Doctors name the route: intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC) or intravenous (IV) injection. Common verbs are give, have and receive an injection. Patients often say 'a jab' (UK) or 'a shot' (US), especially for vaccines.

Example sentences

  1. You'll feel a sharp scratch as I give the injection.

  2. The nurse showed him how to give himself the injection in his thigh.

Common collocations

  • give an injection
  • intramuscular injection
  • steroid injection
  • injection site
  • have an injection
  • intravenousGiven directly into a vein, usually through a thin plastic tube called a cannula, as with fluids, antibiotics or pain relief.
  • vaccineA product that teaches the immune system to recognise and fight a particular infection, so that the person is protected before they meet it.
  • insulinA hormone made by the pancreas that lowers blood glucose; it is also given as a medicine, usually by injection, to people with diabetes.
  • medicationA substance used to treat, prevent or relieve the symptoms of a disease; also the whole set of drugs a patient takes.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Prescriptions and Medication

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.