fever

noun fe·ver \ ˈfē-vər \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Examples: fever in a Sentence

Definition of fever

1 a : a rise of body temperature above the normal

b : any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom

2 a : a state of heightened or intense emotion or activity

b : a contagious usually transient enthusiasm : craze

See fever defined for English-language learners

See fever defined for kids

Examples of fever in a Sentence

The symptoms of the disease include headache and fever.
We waited in a fever of anticipation.
He had us all in a fever with worry.

Recent Examples of fever from the Web

The 2015 market crash was like unexpectedly catching a fever that came fast but also went fast.

— shen hong, WSJ, "This Year’s Selloff in Chinese Markets Isn’t Like 2015. It Looks Worse.," 6 July 2018
The drug has been shown to reduce the duration of flu symptoms by a little more than a day — most uncomplicated flu infections only last a few days — and reduce the duration of fever by nearly a day.

— helen branswell, STAT, "A flu drug — shown to reduce the duration of symptoms — could upend treatment in U.S.," 27 June 2018
But under the current rules, the effect of reclassification fever will likely be clear next season.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "Reclassifying is trending up in college basketball, for better or worse," 26 June 2018
Symptoms of plague in humans include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, and weakness.

— christina lords, idahostatesman, "SW Idaho cat infected in problem area known for previous plague cases," 26 June 2018
Symptoms of the fever include headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and joint pains — unusual symptoms in the summer months.

— hannah holzer, sacbee, "West Nile Virus season has begun: 8 birds have tested positive in Sac County," 25 June 2018
The new case report explains that a teenage boy went to an urgent care clinic complaining of fever and a rash in August 2016.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "A Florida Teen Is the First Human to Catch This Virus From a Mosquito," 25 June 2018
Since his debut at the end of the month, fans have caught the Ibrahimovic fever.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Scores for LA Galaxy Against Chicago in First Start," 14 Apr. 2018
Catch boogie fever on the lighted dance floor of the late-night, weekends-only club Paula & Raiford’s Disco downtown.

— elaine glusac, New York Times, "36 Hours in Memphis," 22 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of fever

Middle English, from Old English fēfer, from Latin febris

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

fever Synonyms

fever

verb

Definition of fever

fevered; fevering play \ˈfē-vriŋ, ˈfe-vər-iŋ\

transitive verb

: to throw into a fever : agitate

intransitive verb

: to contract or be in a fever : become feverish

Recent Examples of fever from the Web

Proponents also argue that there is little evidence that fever itself, even a high fever, is harmful.

— richard klasco, New York Times, "If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs?," 11 May 2018

First Known Use of fever

1606

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

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FEVER Defined for English Language Learners

fever

noun

Definition of fever for English Language Learners

: a body temperature that is higher than normal
: a disease that causes an increase in body temperature
: a state of excited emotion or activity

FEVER Defined for Kids

fever

noun fe·ver \ ˈfē-vər \

Definition of fever for Students

1 : a body temperature that is higher than normal

2 : a disease involving fever

Medical Dictionary

fever

noun fe·ver \ ˈfē-vər \

medical Definition of fever

1 : a rise of body temperature above the normal whether a natural response (as to infection) or artificially induced for therapeutic reasons

2 : an abnormal bodily state characterized by increased production of heat, accelerated heart action and pulse, and systemic debility with weakness, loss of appetite, and thirst

3 : any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom