bronchitis

noun bron·chi·tis \ brän-ˈkī-təs , bräŋ- \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of bronchitis

: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes; also : a disease marked by this

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bronchitic

play \-ˈki-tik\ adjective

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Recent Examples of bronchitis from the Web

Centeno Santos fell ill with bronchitis the next month.

— maria elena vizcaino, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Puerto Rican evacuee is 100th patient for new procedure at Osceola Regional: 'Now I can live longer'," 3 July 2018
The herb has a long history in India of being used to treat a variety of diseases from bronchitis to stomach ulcers.

— sallee ann ruibal, Cincinnati.com, "Thai cave rescue: This is the meal boys requested after being saved," 10 July 2018
The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory, and several schools were closed due to elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, which can increase the risk of bronchitis and respiratory infections.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Just Erupted From Its Summit and Sent Ash 30,000 Feet in the Air: The Latest," 17 May 2018
When her daughter’s cold turned into a five-month bout of bronchitis for Ms. Fender, there was no family close by to help.

— lauren weber, WSJ, "Working Women Often Underestimate Motherhood Costs," 26 June 2018
In January, Tweedy attributed positive tests for amphetamines and methamphetamine to prescription medicine used to treat bronchitis and urinary tract infections.

— stephen hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Father whose son died in hit-and-run softened his harsh opinion of driver found dead," 18 June 2018
He was hospitalized twice in 2017 for pneumonia and bronchitis, and a few times between 2012 and 2015 — once after falling in his Kennebunkport home and breaking a bone in his neck.

— kristine phillips, chicagotribune.com, "Former president George H.W. Bush is hospitalized again, spokesman says," 27 May 2018
The most common complications of untreated allergies are sinus infections and bronchitis.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "What's causing your severe seasonal allergies and how to tell if it's just the cold," 20 May 2018
Bush's doctors said chronic bronchitis is a condition more prevalent with age and can aggravate the symptoms of pneumonia.

— Bloomberg.com, "George H.W. Bush Hospitalized With Blood Infection, Spokesman Says," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bronchitis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The bronchial tubes carry air into the tiny branches and smaller cells of the lungs. In bronchitis, the tubes become sore and you develop a deep cough. Bronchitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but there's no drug treatment for the more common kind caused by a virus. A bout of bronchitis may involve a couple of weeks of coughing (with no laughing allowed), weakness, and loss of energy and interest in doing things. Apart from that, bronchitis is rarely serious—at least if it doesn't progress to pneumonia.