contagion

noun

con·ta·gion | \ kən-ˈtā-jən

Definition of contagion

1a : a contagious disease

b : the transmission of a disease by direct or indirect contact

c : a disease-producing agent (such as a virus)

2a : poison

b : contagious influence, quality, or nature

c : corrupting influence or contact

3a : rapid communication of an influence (such as a doctrine or emotional state)

b : an influence that spreads rapidly

Examples of contagion in a Sentence

a disease that spreads by contagion People have been warned to keep out of the area to avoid contagion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Around the globe, fears of contagion in emerging markets and ongoing trade tensions have helped push Asian and European stocks lower this week, with most major indexes set to close with a weekly loss. — Ben St. Clair, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Slump on Fears of New China Tariffs," 7 Sep. 2018 Several factors so far have helped to prevent problems in individual emerging markets like Pakistan and Turkey from turning into a global contagion. — Saumya Vaishampayan, WSJ, "As Pakistan Starts Talks, Emerging Markets Look to Contain Damage," 8 Oct. 2018 Like other social contagions, such as cutting and bulimia, ROGD overwhelmingly afflicts girls. — Abigail Shrier, WSJ, "When Your Daughter Defies Biology," 6 Jan. 2019 Visit Site Don’t expect the Sears failure to be a contagion threatening to infect the rest of retail. — Gerald Porter Jr., The Seattle Times, "Sears files for bankruptcy just as things are looking up for U.S. retail," 15 Oct. 2018 But the event yesterday started the spread of a different kind of contagion: worry. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "CDC investigates two more flights that landed with coughing passengers," 6 Sep. 2018 And knowing where the Salmonella is coming from is key to curbing the contagion, or preventing it in the first place. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Machine learning could help figure out what pooped on your produce," 12 Dec. 2018 When Lehman was left to fail, the ensuing contagion and panic left the Fed and other sovereign balance sheets as the lenders of last resort. — Daniel J. Arbess, WSJ, "Get Ready for the Next Financial Crisis," 14 Sep. 2018 The bloc has moved since the Greek crisis to create backstops for the euro, so the currency would almost surely survive an Italian exit and manage the economic contagion. — Steven Erlanger, New York Times, "Italy Pushes Euro to Fore, the Last Place Europe Wants It," 29 May 2018

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