fever

play

noun fe·ver \ ˈfē-vər \

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

Symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, itching, weight loss and yellow skin and eyes.

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Death count hits 14 in San Diego's hepatitis A outbreak," 23 Aug. 2017
One of the reports on Iwaspoisoned.com linked a case of diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting to Super Orient Buffet on Semoran Boulevard in Orlando on July 26.

— kyle arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Restaurants worry as food poisoning reports go viral," 8 Aug. 2017
Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps over a period of four to seven days.

— lucy berry, AL.com, "Salmonella outbreak linked to papayas kills 1, sickens 47 in 12 states," 26 July 2017
Symptoms for dogs include lethargy, persistent coughing or sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, fever and reduced appetite.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Dog flu outbreak spreads to a Kentucky Humane Society location," 21 July 2017
Between 20 and 25 percent of them will develop a fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea or a skin rash.

— james steinbauer, chicagotribune.com, "Scientists say record floods could brew bad batch of mosquitoes," 20 July 2017
Using the same technology, the new effort will study how gene drive might defend against Zika, chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "DARPA funds UCSD gene drive research against mosquito-borne diseases," 19 July 2017
Mosquitoes can carry deadly diseases like Zika and Dengue fever.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Google Project Will Try to Eliminate an Entire Species of Mosquito From a City," 17 July 2017
There was no municipal garbage service then, Ms. Xu said, and so the tensions eventually reached a fever point.

— alan feuer and jeffrey e. singer, New York Times, "A Brooklyn Murder’s Decades-Old Origins in Rural China," 16 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

fever Synonyms

Synonyms

affection, ail, ailment, bug, complaint, complication, condition, disorder, distemper, distemperature, disease, ill, illness, infirmity, malady, sickness, trouble

Antonyms

health, wellness

Related Words

contagion, contagious disease; contagium, infection; attack, bout, fit, spell; debility, decrepitude, feebleness, frailness, lameness, sickliness, unhealthiness, unsoundness, unwellness, weakness; malaise, matter, pip; epidemic, pest, pestilence, plague

Near Antonyms

fitness, healthiness, heartiness, robustness, soundness, wholeness, wholesomeness; fettle, shape

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

First Known Use of fever

1606

FEVER Defined for English Language Learners

fever

play

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

play

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

play

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

fever

verb

medical Definition of fever

fevered; fevering play \ˈfēv-(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

:to affect with fever

the malarial plasmodia fevered him

intransitive verb

:to contract or be in a fever :be or become feverish

the malaria victim fevered intermittently

Learn More about fever

See words that rhyme with fever Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fever Spanish Central: Translation of fever Nglish: Translation of fever for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fever for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fever

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fever? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

fever

Definition of fever

Explore M-W

Examples of fever in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fever from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fever

fever Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

fever

Definition of fever

First Known Use of fever

Phrases Related to FEVER

Related Phrases

FEVER Defined for English Language Learners

fever

Definition of fever for English Language Learners

FEVER Defined for Kids

fever

Definition of fever for Students

Medical Dictionary

fever

medical Definition of fever

fever

medical Definition of fever

Learn More about fever

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066