English Reference

Word

injection

Phoneticsin·jec·tion, stress on the second syllable

US/ˌɪnˈdʒɛkʃən/

UK/ɪndʒˈɛkʃən/

Definitions

01medical shot

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine

n. the act of putting medicine into your body using a needle and a syringe.

n. the administration of a liquid medication or other substance into the body via a needle and syringe.

“The nurse gave him an injection in his arm to help with the pain.”

“The patient required a subcutaneous injection of insulin twice daily to manage his blood sugar levels effectively.”

02financial boost

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a large amount of money added to a business or project to help it succeed.

n. the provision of a significant amount of capital to an organization to improve its financial health or support a specific project.

“The small company survived thanks to a cash injection from a new investor.”

“The government announced a massive injection of funds into the public transport sector to modernize the aging rail infrastructure.”

03fuel system

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Technical

n. the way fuel is forced into an engine to make it run.

n. the pressurized introduction of fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.

“Modern cars use electronic fuel injection instead of old-fashioned carburetors.”

“The mechanic explained that a fault in the fuel injection system was causing the engine to stall at high speeds.”

04computing/security

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Computing Technical

n. the act of putting extra code into a computer program, often to attack it.

n. the exploitation of a computer bug by processing invalid data to change the course of execution, such as in a SQL injection attack.

“The website was hacked using a common technique called SQL injection.”

“Developers must sanitize all user inputs to prevent malicious code injection that could compromise the database integrity.”

05mathematical function

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Mathematics Technical

n. a rule where every starting value matches to a different result.

n. a function that maps distinct elements of its domain to distinct elements of its codomain; a one-to-one mapping.

“In this math problem, we need to prove that the function is an injection.”

“The student demonstrated that the mapping was an injection by showing that no two distinct inputs produced the same output value.”

Synonyms

one-to-one function

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “injection” in context.

Verb

01. administer an injection

“The nurse will administer a local anesthetic injection before the procedure begins.”

verb + noun

02. provide a massive injection of capital

“The government decided to provide a massive injection of capital to save the struggling airline.”

verb + noun + of + noun

03. receive an injection

“Patients must receive a booster injection every ten years to maintain immunity.”

verb + noun

Adjective

04. intravenous injection

“An intravenous injection ensures that the medication enters the bloodstream immediately.”

adj + noun

05. lethal injection

“The prisoner was sentenced to death by lethal injection.”

adj + noun

Noun

06. cash injection

“The startup is looking for a fresh cash injection to expand its operations into Europe.”

noun + noun

07. injection of humor

“The speaker's witty remarks provided a much-needed injection of humor into the dry presentation.”

noun + of + noun

Real-World Examples

“It's a twice-a-year injection that is remarkably effective in preventing an HIV infection.”
NPR 13 Aug 2026
“It is common to get some swelling, redness or tenderness where you have the injection.”
BBC News 3 Aug 2026

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French injection, from Latin iniectio. The mathematical sense is from French injection, introduced by Nicolas Bourbaki in their treatise Éléments de mathématique. Equivalent to inject + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

NOUN

injection(C1)

Related words

Domains

MathematicsMedicine

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
Frequency
Frequent
Level
C1 · AdvancedOxford
Updated

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