Definition of epidemic
1 : affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time typhoid was epidemic
2a : excessively prevalentb : contagious 4 epidemic laughter
3 : characterized by very widespread growth or extent : of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic the practice had reached epidemic proportions
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Examples of epidemic in a Sentence
Overuse injuries—particularly in the elbows and shoulders of young pitchers—are indeed becoming epidemic. Orthopedists often blame coaches and parents for failing to monitor how many pitches kids are throwing and for not giving them time to rest their arms. —Sara Corbett, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2006
The dream of running off to live the good life in a postcard perfect town in the mountains or by the sea often reaches epidemic proportions near the end of summer. —John Rasmus, National Geographic, September 2004
Saturday Night Fever propelled disco fever to epidemic proportions: By 1978, 40 percent of all the music on Billboard's Hot 100 was disco. —Peter Braunstein, American Heritage, November 1999
the little girl's giggles were epidemic, and soon the entire gathering was laughing
Recent Examples of epidemic from the Web
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The other aspect of hitting the opioid epidemic head-on involves the hospital system this fall pushing to reform how health professionals deal with prescribing opioids.
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The epidemic year was an outlier on every measure, with the warmest winter, the warmest spring and the heaviest early rainfall in 10 years.
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Here, Dr. Megumi Itoh, left, an epidemic intelligence officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measures the head of 5-month-old Adrielly Rutino, as she is held by her mother.
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There is no question that communication about public business though private accounts and devices is at an epidemic level.
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Correspondingly, social media rudeness on political and cultural topics is at an epidemic level.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidemic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of epidemic
French épidémique, from Middle French, from epidemie, noun, epidemic, from Late Latin epidemia, from Greek epidēmia visit, epidemic, from epidēmos visiting, epidemic, from epi- + dēmos people — more at demagogue
Definition of epidemic
1 : an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time : an outbreak of epidemic disease
2 : an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development an epidemic of bankruptcies
Examples of epidemic in a Sentence
Cosmetic surgery is now so prevalent that it could qualify as a national epidemic. —Toni Bentley, New York Times Book Review, 22 Oct. 2006
“Spim,” as people are beginning to call unsolicited instant messages, is the latest installment in the growing epidemic of unwanted electronic ads and a further sign that unscrupulous online marketers will seek to take advantage of all of the Internet's communication tools, not limiting themselves to spam or pop-up ads. —David McGuire, www.washingtonpost.com, 13 Nov. 2003
Whatever might have motivated Kennedy to put [Ian] Fleming on his list, from that point, Bond became an international obsession. When the first Bond film appeared in 1962—Dr. No—the obsession was a full-blown craze, a cultural epidemic. —Gerald Early, New Letters, 1999
Recent Examples of epidemic from the Web
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Meanwhile, President Trump tasked his son-in-law with just about every thorny issue facing his administration, from rewriting U.S. trade agreements to solving the opioid epidemic to brokering peace in the Middle East.
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Markey took the floor of the Senate and lambasted the new bill for trying to fight the epidemic on the cheap.
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Since the epidemic began last October, there have been cholera cases in 21 of 23 of Yemen’s governorates.
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The first casualty of America’s opioid epidemic beyond the users themselves?
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There’s an important story to be told on Snowfall, FX’s series about the onset of the crack epidemic, which ravaged American cities—particularly their black communities—for over a decade, beginning in the 1980s.
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This is a sad and serious disease that has singled out the DFW area for its worst epidemic.
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Delray Beach is at the epicenter of a South Florida overdose epidemic that claimed more than 1,000 lives last year.
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Still, the opioid epidemic can likely be unwound more effectively through education, treatment, and a shift toward cannabinoids for pain management than an inhumane, law-and-order campaign of tougher drug penalties and longer incarceration.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidemic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of epidemic
see 1epidemic
EPIDEMIC Defined for English Language Learners
epidemic
playDefinition of epidemic for English Language Learners
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medical : an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people
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: a sudden quickly spreading occurrence of something harmful or unwanted
EPIDEMIC Defined for Kids
Definition of epidemic for Students
1 : a rapidly spreading outbreak of disease
2 : something harmful that spreads or develops rapidly a crime epidemic
Definition of epidemic for Students
: spreading widely and affecting many people at the same time an epidemic disease
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of epidemic
epidemic
Medical Definition of epidemic
1: an outbreak of epidemic disease
2: a natural population (as of insects) suddenly and greatly enlarged
Learn More about epidemic
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See words that rhyme with epidemic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for epidemic Spanish Central: Translation of epidemic Nglish: Translation of epidemic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of epidemic for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about epidemic
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