disease

noun dis·ease \ di-ˈzēz \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

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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diseased

play \-ˈzēzd\ adjective

See disease defined for English-language learners

See disease defined for kids

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.

Recent Examples of disease from the Web

More than one type of bacterium can cause the flesh-eating disease, which, since 2010, affects between 600 and 1200 people annually in the United States.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Flesh-eating bacteria suspected as cause of grandma's death after a Florida vacation | Miami Herald," 11 May 2018
In addition, resources spent on cannabis enforcement need to be redirected to fighting opioid and methamphetamines, to fighting the manufacturers and dealers, not consumers plus addiction needs to be treated like a disease, not a crime.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "Gore faces challenger Myers in sheriff's race," 10 May 2018
Other medical conditions like liver disease, diabetes, and kidney failure can also cause strange-smelling breath or sweat, Kumar says.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "How to Tell If Your Bad Body Odor Is Cause for Concern," 8 May 2018
As well as providing detailed grazing maps showing water and grass conditions, herders can contribute information about livestock diseases, predators, and conflicts.

— anthony langat, The Christian Science Monitor, "New app helps Kenyan herders cut drought risks," 7 May 2018
Patient-focused medical care which prevents and cures disease, decreasing the emphasis on treatment and using computerized diagnostic protocols to limit unnecessary tests and excessive billing codes.

— nick hollkamp, The Courier-Journal, "Indiana voters' guide: Congressional, state and local candidates in Clark, Floyd counties," 4 May 2018
Like many other common diseases, migraines run in families, but tracing exactly how these sometimes debilitating headaches pass from parents to children has been challenging.

— elizabeth cooney, STAT, "We know migraines run in families. A new genetic exploration zooms in on how," 3 May 2018
Poverty is associated with higher rates of chronic diseases — such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, depression, etc.

— anthony v. coletta, md, mba, Philly.com, "To improve Philly's healthcare system, first focus on poverty," 3 May 2018
Only one of the diseases, yellow fever, has a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have more than tripled," 1 May 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of disease

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

disease Synonyms

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

DISEASE Defined for English Language Learners

disease

noun

Definition of disease for English Language Learners

: 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 Defined for Kids

disease

noun dis·ease \ di-ˈzēz \

Definition of disease for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

disease

noun dis·ease \ diz-ˈēz \

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 1

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