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

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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Over the past three weeks, 11 cats have died at the facility from the disease. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2022 Previous studies have shown that colonoscopies reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 40% to 69% and reduce the risk of death from the disease by 29% to 88%, according to the study. Reynolds Lewis, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2022 The risk of human infection is moderate to high in the Greater Boston area, and risk from mosquito-borne disease will likely continue until the first hard frost, the statement said. Adam Sennott, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Oct. 2022 The breast cancer death rate in the United States has dropped significantly, but Black women continue to be more likely to die from the disease despite having a lower incidence of it, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 7 Oct. 2022 And while being unvaccinated greatly increases the risk of becoming seriously ill from the disease, just 20% of unvaccinated people were concerned about hospitalization, compared to 33% of vaccinated people. Time, 5 Oct. 2022 Her father, a coal miner, later died from black lung disease. Chris Morris, Variety, 4 Oct. 2022 Plus, the Florida Keys also have their own unique combination of problems, from infectious disease to coastal development, and from hurricanes to coral bleaching. Alex Riley, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2022 Black women are also 41% more likely to die from the disease than white women, regardless of being diagnosed at similar rates. Sierra Porter, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2022 See More

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.

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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Dictionary Entries Near disease

disdiapason

disease

diseased

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Statistics for disease

Last Updated

20 Oct 2022

Cite this Entry

“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disease. Accessed 21 Oct. 2022.

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More Definitions for disease

disease

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

Kids Definition of disease

: an abnormal bodily condition of a living plant or animal that interferes with functioning and can usually be recognized by signs and symptoms : illness

Other Words from disease

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

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

More from Merriam-Webster on disease

Nglish: Translation of disease for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of disease for Arabic Speakers

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