# vampire

/ˈvæmpaɪɹ/ (US) · /vˈæmpaɪə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/vampire
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. mythical creature

noun · CEFR B1

a legendary monster that stays alive by drinking the blood of living people.

For teachers: a mythological or folkloric being, typically undead, that subsists by feeding on the life essence or blood of the living.

- In the old stories, a vampire cannot enter your house unless you invite them in.
- Gothic literature often portrays the vampire as a sophisticated but cursed figure, trapped between the world of the living and the dead.

### 2. draining person

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

someone who uses up all your time, money, or emotional energy.

For teachers: a person who preys on others by depleting their emotional, financial, or physical resources.

- I had to stop hanging out with him because he was such an emotional vampire.
- The CEO was described as a corporate vampire, stripping the company of its assets before moving on to his next target.

### 3. animal

noun · CEFR B2

a type of bat that feeds on the blood of other animals.

For teachers: any of various bats of the subfamily Desmodontinae that feed on the blood of birds and mammals.

- The vampire bat usually feeds on sleeping cattle during the night.
- Unlike the fruit-eating varieties, the vampire bat has evolved specialized heat sensors to locate blood vessels near the skin of its prey.

### 5. blood technician

noun · CEFR C2 · American English · Slang · Humorous

a person whose job is to take blood from patients for medical tests.

For teachers: a slang term for a phlebotomist or medical technician specializing in the collection of blood samples.

- The vampire at the clinic was very quick and I didn't feel the needle at all.
- Hospital staff jokingly referred to the night-shift phlebotomist as the resident vampire due to his uncanny ability to find a vein in the dark.

### 6. to drain

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to slowly take away someone's energy or money.

For teachers: to deplete or exhaust a person or organization of resources or vitality.

- The long legal battle started to vampire all of her savings.
- The constant demands of the project began to vampire the team's morale, leading to several resignations.

## Examples

- The movie is about a vampire who lives in an old castle.
- Legends say that a vampire cannot enter your home unless you invite them inside first.
- The gothic novel transformed the vampire from a bloated peasant corpse of eastern European folklore into a sophisticated, aristocratic predator that haunts the drawing rooms of high society.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.