fever

1 of 2

noun

fe·​ver ˈfē-vər 

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

fever

2 of 2

verb

fevered; fevering ˈfe-vər-iŋ 

ˈfē-vriŋ

transitive verb

: to throw into a fever : agitate

intransitive verb

: to contract or be in a fever : become feverish

Synonyms of fever

Noun

• disease
• illness
• ailment
• ill
• sickness

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Symptoms typically begin suddenly with fever, severe headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Absolute contraindications include pregnancy, especially the first trimester, unstable cardiovascular disease, recent stroke, active fever or infection and alcohol intoxication. — Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026

The doctor ran through a list of symptoms that might explain the alarming test results — dizziness, shortness of breath, fever — but Shen wasn't experiencing any of them. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026

To say Knicks fever took over New York City is perhaps the biggest understatement of the year, with the Big Apple exploding with an electric energy (with sky-high ticket prices to match) as the team defeated the San Antonio Spurs in this year’s NBA Finals. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English fēfer, from Latin febris

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing fever

• African swine fever
• baby fever
• blackwater fever
• breakbone fever
• buck fever
• cabin fever
• childbed fever
• Ebola fever
• enteric fever
• fever blister
• fever pitch
• fever tree
• glandular fever
• hay fever
• hemorrhagic fever
• Lassa fever
• milk fever
• parrot fever
• phlebotomus fever
• puerperal fever
• Q fever
• rabbit fever
• rat-bite fever
• relapsing fever
• rheumatic fever
• Rift Valley fever
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• rose fever
• run a fever
• sandfly fever
• San Joaquin fever
• San Joaquin valley fever
• scarlet fever
• snail fever
• spotted fever
• spring fever
• swine fever
• Texas fever
• tick fever
• trench fever
• typhoid fever
• undulant fever
• valley fever
• West Nile fever
• yellow fever
• yellow-fever mosquito
• Zika fever

Rhymes for fever

• cleaver
• leaver
• weaver
• achiever
• believer
• deceiver
• perceiver
• receiver
• reliever
• retriever
• transceiver
• unbeliever

Kids Definition

fever

noun

fe·​ver

ˈfē-vər

1

a

: a rise of body temperature above the normal

b

: a disease of which fever is an important symptom

2

: a state of excited emotion or activity

Medical Definition

fever

1 of 2 noun

fe·​ver ˈfē-vər 

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

2 of 2 verb

fevered; fevering 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