community spread
noun
variants
or community transmission
: the spread of a contagious disease within a community
specifically
: the spread of a contagious disease to individuals in a particular geographic location who have no known contact with other infected individuals or who have not recently traveled to an area where the disease has any documented cases
Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, who is the top coronavirus expert in the country, said community spread made it almost impossible to predict how many cases there will be. —
Megan Sheets and Emily Crane
Megan Sheets and Emily Crane … a 50-year-old New Rochelle man became the first known person in New York to contract the virus through community spread. —Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell In areas where community transmission is high, schools may be closed and businesses may ask employees to work from home. —Melissa Healy
Melissa Healy Examples of community spread in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cases rose quickly in Colorado last month when an out-of-state traveler flew while infectious, leading to multiple cases among passengers on the same plane, and others among people who were in the airport at the same time and broader community spread from those cases.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
There has yet to be evidence of community spread in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, but many public health experts are worried that with more unvaccinated people, the incredibly contagious virus is increasingly likely to find vulnerable humans to infect.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, Mercury News, 22 June 2025
That marked a record since the U.S. in 2000 declared uncontrolled community spread of the virus eliminated through widespread measles vaccinations.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 13 June 2025
This benchmark provides the necessary protection levels against community spread, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
—Rebecca-Ann Jattan, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
Hawaii confirmed two cases of measles in early April and concluded there was no further community spread.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025
Child-care centers that were still open during the pandemic did not significantly contribute to community spread, nor did schools in other nations that had resumed in-person classes.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025
By the end of 2011, according to combined UN agency reports, about 85 percent of highly drug-resistant TB cases were going completely untreated, allowing community spread of the mutant strains.
—Laurie Garrett, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2012
Health officials have worried that the failure to stop ongoing outbreaks of measles could put the U.S. on track to officially lose its status of having eliminated endemic community spread of the virus.
—Paula Cohen, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
There has yet to be evidence of community spread in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, but many public health experts are worried that with more unvaccinated people, the incredibly contagious virus is increasingly likely to find vulnerable humans to infect.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, Mercury News, 22 June 2025
That marked a record since the U.S. in 2000 declared uncontrolled community spread of the virus eliminated through widespread measles vaccinations.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 13 June 2025
This benchmark provides the necessary protection levels against community spread, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
—Rebecca-Ann Jattan, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
Hawaii confirmed two cases of measles in early April and concluded there was no further community spread.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025
Child-care centers that were still open during the pandemic did not significantly contribute to community spread, nor did schools in other nations that had resumed in-person classes.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025
By the end of 2011, according to combined UN agency reports, about 85 percent of highly drug-resistant TB cases were going completely untreated, allowing community spread of the mutant strains.
—Laurie Garrett, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2012
Health officials have worried that the failure to stop ongoing outbreaks of measles could put the U.S. on track to officially lose its status of having eliminated endemic community spread of the virus.
—Paula Cohen, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Community spread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community%20spread. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share