Typhoid Mary
noun
plural Typhoid Marys
: one that is by force of circumstances a center from which something undesirable spreads
the Typhoid Marys of the epidemics
Examples of Typhoid Mary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Photo: Everett Collection Nearly killed in a motorcycle accident, a young woman (adult-film star Marilyn Chambers) receives an experimental surgery that transforms her into a 20th-century Typhoid Mary, unleashing a zombie plague via a pulsing stinger in her armpit.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
The same display tells the story of Typhoid Mary, with a subtle sermon buried underneath.
—Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, 8 Oct. 2021
And take a lesson from the mistakes of Typhoid Mary: Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, for a minimum of 20 seconds.
—Sandee Lamotte and Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 7 July 2020
One of the most infamous examples of spreading disease while being asymptomatic is household cook Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary), who spread typhoid to numerous families in 19th-century New England during food preparation.
—Paul Dawson, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2015
Jeb recognized his new Typhoid Mary status with portions of the base and pivoted quickly.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 1 Mar. 2023
Here, the Series 4 card in question is Luke Cage, who prevents Typhoid Mary from poisoning your other cards.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
In the sense that Typhoid Mary should have been proud, or Oppenheimer.
—Dennard Dayle, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2022
After World War II the holiday scene shifted away from the linen and silver and servants carted up from the Main Line and Back Bay—Typhoid Mary had been brought to work in an Islesboro household—and a new economic symbiosis between the islanders and summer people emerged.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
The same display tells the story of Typhoid Mary, with a subtle sermon buried underneath.
—Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, 8 Oct. 2021
And take a lesson from the mistakes of Typhoid Mary: Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, for a minimum of 20 seconds.
—Sandee Lamotte and Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 7 July 2020
One of the most infamous examples of spreading disease while being asymptomatic is household cook Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary), who spread typhoid to numerous families in 19th-century New England during food preparation.
—Paul Dawson, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2015
Jeb recognized his new Typhoid Mary status with portions of the base and pivoted quickly.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 1 Mar. 2023
Here, the Series 4 card in question is Luke Cage, who prevents Typhoid Mary from poisoning your other cards.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
In the sense that Typhoid Mary should have been proud, or Oppenheimer.
—Dennard Dayle, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2022
After World War II the holiday scene shifted away from the linen and silver and servants carted up from the Main Line and Back Bay—Typhoid Mary had been brought to work in an Islesboro household—and a new economic symbiosis between the islanders and summer people emerged.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Typhoid Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Typhoid%20Mary. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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