Meaning & use
vials
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“vials” is a form of “vial”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Small glass or plastic containers with a narrow neck or a stopper, used for holding liquid medicine, chemicals or samples.
Grammar: Plural form of vial: one vial, several vials.
Patterns
- vials of something
- a box of vials
The nurse drew the vaccine from one of the small glass vials.
Rows of labeled vials stood in the laboratory fridge.
The traveler packed two vials of insulin in a cooler bag.
Word forms
| singular | vial |
|---|
Common combinations
- glass vials
- The samples were stored in sterile glass vials.
- vials of blood
- Technicians labeled the vials of blood before testing.
- sealed vials
- Sealed vials protect the medicine from contamination.
- empty vials
- Empty vials must be thrown away in a special container.
- a set of vials
- The chemistry kit includes a set of vials with screw caps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- phials
- Phial is the British spelling and has an older feel, while vial is standard in American English and in science.
- ampoules
- An ampoule is sealed completely and snapped open for a single use, whereas a vial often has a stopper that can be pierced several times.
- bottles
- Bottle is the general word and can be large, while vials are always small.
Word family
- vial noun
- singular form, one small container
- phial noun
- British variant of vial
- vialed adjective
- rare, put into vials
Commonly confused: vials or vile? vials or viol?
vials vs vile
Vile means extremely unpleasant, and its sound is different: /vaɪl/ with no second syllable, while vial has two syllables.
vials vs viol
A viol is an old stringed musical instrument; it is pronounced almost like vial but is unrelated.
Practice
The pharmacist placed the doses in tiny glass ___ with rubber stoppers.
Choose one answer.
Vials are small stoppered containers for liquid medicine. Vases hold flowers, viols are musical instruments, and vines are climbing plants.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vials”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.