fe·ver | \ ˈfē-vər 
\
\Definition of fever
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : a rise of body temperature above the normal
b : any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom
2a : a state of heightened or intense emotion or activity
b : a contagious usually transient enthusiasm : craze
fever
verbfevered; fevering\ ˈfē-vriŋ , ˈfe-vər-iŋ \
, ˈfe-vər-iŋ \Definition of fever (Entry 2 of 2)
: to throw into a fever : agitate
: to contract or be in a fever : become feverish
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Synonyms & Antonyms for fever
Synonyms: Noun
- affection,
- ail,
- ailment,
- bug,
- complaint,
- complication,
- condition,
- disease,
- disorder,
- distemper,
- distemperature,
- ill,
- illness,
- infirmity,
- malady,
- sickness,
- trouble
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of fever in a Sentence
Noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Symptoms in rabbits include: lethargy, high fever, seizures, jaundice, bleeding from nose, mouth, or rectum, difficulty breathing, and sudden death.
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Outdoor Life, "A Deadly Virus Is Spreading Among Wild Rabbits and Hares. Wildlife Agencies Are Calling on Hunters for Help," 21 Dec. 2020 Alone in her bedroom and fighting a high fever, Antonio began hallucinating.
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Washington Post, "A Canadian woman has been sick with covid-19 long-term effects for nearly 9 months: ‘I’m definitely worried it will be permanent’," 9 Dec. 2020 Another person developed a high fever of over 104 Fahrenheit after receiving the first dose of vaccine.
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Helen Branswell, STAT, "Detailed data on AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine show it has moderate efficacy," 8 Dec. 2020 What doctors do know is that severe symptoms — high fever, headache and body aches — are more likely to manifest themselves early with the flu.
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Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "First known case in Bay Area of dual coronavirus-flu infection found in Solano County man," 29 Oct. 2020 First the otherwise healthy 10-year-old boy complained of a headache and no appetite, followed by a high fever that wouldn’t subside with pain relievers.
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Angie Leventis Lourgos, chicagotribune.com, "‘So happy to bring my son home.’ 10-year-old boy survives severe inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19.," 23 Oct. 2020 Days after that lunch, Albert Joseph left work early, suffering from fevers, chills and a high fever.
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Katy Reckdahl, NOLA.com, "'The impact of work': On-the-job coronavirus exposure a key driver in Black, Latino communities," 17 Oct. 2020 The most common symptoms for COVID-19 are a high fever, chills, dry cough and fatigue.
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Robin Lloyd, Scientific American, "Coronavirus News Roundup, October 10-October 16," 16 Oct. 2020 But a dangerously high fever would be cause for concern.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "2 things we know (and 3 we don’t) about Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly pausing COVID-19 trials," 13 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Like a snowstorm that starts with few flakes before shutting down the city, his aches turned into chills and then fever.
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oregonlive, "Despair in the ICU with COVID-19 and then hope for life and a message for 2021," 23 Dec. 2020 Symptoms typically appear within 14 days of being bitten and include severe muscle aches and pains, fever and sometimes a rash, according to the health department.
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CBS News, "11th case of dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys," 8 July 2020 As of last Thursday, Young is back home and fever free.
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Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, "In their own words: What it feels like to have coronavirus," 15 Apr. 2020 Of those that do, fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes) are the most common symptoms of Zika virus.
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Rob Picheta, CNN, "First native Zika cases in Europe confirmed as experts warn climate change could bring more," 7 Nov. 2019 For the final quarter of their set, the band’s fevered, crunchy improvisations bred a full-on dance party, with fans of all ages getting in on the fun.
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Natalie Weiner, Billboard, "Herbie Hancock & Cecile McLorin Salvant Among 9 Best Moments at 2019 Newport Jazz Festival," 5 Aug. 2019 Proponents also argue that there is little evidence that fever itself, even a high fever, is harmful.
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Richard Klasco, New York Times, "If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs?," 11 May 2018
See MoreThese 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.
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Learn More about fever
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Baby Fever
Baby Fever
The longing to have a child of one's own
Dictionary Entries near fever
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for fever
Last Updated
14 Jan 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fever. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.
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More Definitions for fever
fever
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of fever
: a body temperature that is higher than normal
: a disease that causes an increase in body temperature
: a state of excited emotion or activity
See the full definition for fever in the English Language Learners Dictionary
fever
nounfe·ver | \ ˈfē-vər \
\Kids Definition of fever
1 : a body temperature that is higher than normal
2 : a disease involving fever
fever
nounfe·ver | \ ˈfē-vər \
\Medical Definition of fever
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
verbfevered; fevering\ ˈfēv-(ə-)riŋ \
\Medical Definition of fever (Entry 2 of 2)
: to affect with fever
the malarial plasmodia fevered him
: to contract or be in a fever : be or become feverish the malaria victim fevered intermittently
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Time Traveler for fever
The first known use of fever was before the 12th century
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