public health

noun

: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

Examples of public health in a Sentence

a disease that poses a serious threat to public health

She got her degree in public health.

Public health officials warned of an influenza outbreak.

Recent Examples on the Web

Federal public health officials say West Nile virus cases are at an all time high for this time of the year, the highest number of human cases reported in June since 2004. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Progress requires collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, community organizations and local governments. — Russell Cox, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Also in contention are Nirav Shah, a former public health official, and Shenna Bellows, the current Maine secretary of state. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 7 July 2026

This is an infuriating bait-and-switch case compounded by a gross disregard for public health and safety. — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public health

• commonwealth
• telehealth
• bridewealth
• stealth
• wealth

Medical Definition

public health

noun

pub·​lic health ˌpəb-lik- 

: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science