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

Antibiotics and other new medicines, along with public health campaigns against diseases such as malaria, helped more people survive. — Daron Acemoglu, Time, 7 Nov. 2026

There’s no doubt that there are wasteful contracts and bloated salaries to be cut, but not even the strictest economizing could absorb that much without serious danger to public health and safety. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026

The county also said any risk of additional exposure had passed by Friday and there is no longer an ongoing public health threat. — Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2026

He's also set to start studying medicine and public health at the University of Bologna in Italy in February. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 7 Nov. 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