disease

noun
dis·​ease | \ di-ˈzēz How to pronounce disease (audio) \

Definition of disease

1 : a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms : sickness, malady infectious diseases a rare genetic disease heart disease
2 : a harmful development (as in a social institution) sees the city's crime as a disease
3 obsolete : trouble

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Examples of disease in a Sentence

He suffers from a rare genetic disease. a disease of the mind Thousands die of heart disease each year. They are working to stop the spread of disease in rural areas. The article cites intolerance as one of the most dangerous of society's diseases. He sees crime as a disease that too often plagues the poor and disadvantaged.
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Recent Examples on the Web Total sales of the drug totaled $3 billion, and approval for a new disease could boost those numbers even further. Leah Rosenbaum, Forbes, 26 May 2021 Last July, when her immediate family tested positive for Covid-19, Breanna Aguilar did not fit into any groups considered at higher risk for severe disease. James Griffiths, CNN, 24 May 2021 At the most basic public health level, monitoring of all data for a disease can be critical. BostonGlobe.com, 22 May 2021 At the most basic public health level, monitoring of all data for a disease can be critical. Author: Lenny Bernstein, Joel Achenbach, Anchorage Daily News, 22 May 2021 Hospitalizations for the disease generally dropped for about 13 weeks and recently appear to have plateaued somewhat. Brieanna J. Frank, The Arizona Republic, 22 May 2021 At the time, there was no way to screen blood for the AIDS virus and no treatment for the disease. Kate Santich, orlandosentinel.com, 20 May 2021 For now, without a cure for the disease, Jax's mother Leslie Bari is trying to help other families with celiac disease. Eric Noll And Haley Yamada, ABC News, 19 May 2021 There are no cures for either disease, but an effective treatment plan can minimize symptoms for both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Korin Miller, SELF, 18 May 2021

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

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First Known Use of disease

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

History and Etymology for disease

Middle English disese, from Anglo-French desease, desaise, from des- dis- + eise ease

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Time Traveler for disease

Time Traveler

The first known use of disease was in the 14th century

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Statistics for disease

Last Updated

29 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disease. Accessed 4 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for disease

disease

noun

English Language Learners Definition of disease

: an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant : a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally
: a problem that a person, group, organization, or society has and cannot stop

disease

noun
dis·​ease | \ di-ˈzēz How to pronounce disease (audio) \

Kids Definition of disease

: a change in a living body (as of a person or plant) that prevents it from functioning normally : sickness

disease

noun
dis·​ease | \ diz-ˈēz How to pronounce disease (audio) \

Medical Definition of disease

: an impairment of the normal state of the living animal or plant body or one of its parts that interrupts or modifies the performance of the vital functions, is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms, and is a response to environmental factors (as malnutrition, industrial hazards, or climate), to specific infective agents (as worms, bacteria, or viruses), to inherent defects of the organism (as genetic anomalies), or to combinations of these factors : sickness, illness

called also morbus

— compare health sense 1

Other Words from disease

diseased \ -​ˈēzd How to pronounce disease (audio) \ adjective
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