bubonic plague

noun

: plague caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes

Examples of bubonic plague in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This includes illnesses such as cholera, bubonic plague, typhus, measles and smallpox — diseases that historically have caused large outbreaks, especially when populations mix, as seen when the New World was exposed to Europeans. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026

By extension, snakes also help to keep diseases carried by rodents—hantaviruses, bubonic plague, Lyme disease, and more—under control. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026

Though his official cause of death remains unknown, Hamnet dies of the bubonic plague in the novel. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025

While fleas, rats, and global trade played a major role, no single organism or action allowed the bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis) to wreak havoc during the 14th century. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bubonic plague

• craig
• vague

Kids Definition

bubonic plague

noun

: a form of plague that is spread especially from rats to humans by fleas and is marked by chills, fever, weakness, and buboes

Medical Definition

bubonic plague

noun

: plague caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia (Y. pestis synonym Pasteurella pestis) and characterized especially by the formation of buboes compare pneumonic plague