Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

hay fever

noun

Definition of hay fever

:an acute allergic reaction to pollen that is usually seasonal and is marked by sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion, and itching and watering of the eyes — called also pollinosis

See hay fever defined for English-language learners

See hay fever defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

image989362072
8 Words for Trickery and Deception
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
alt-59ee3fc46688e
'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

First Known Use of hay fever

1829

HAY FEVER Defined for English Language Learners

hay fever

noun

Definition of hay fever for English Language Learners

  • medical : a sickness that is like a cold and that is caused by breathing in plant pollen

HAY FEVER Defined for Kids

hay fever

noun

Definition of hay fever for Students

:an allergy to pollen that is usually marked by sneezing, a runny or stuffed nose, and itchy and watering eyes

Medical Dictionary

hay fever

noun \ ˈhā-ˌfē-vər \

medical Definition of hay fever

:an acute allergic reaction to pollen that is usually seasonal and is marked by sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion, and itching and watering of the eyes — called also pollinosis

Learn More about hay fever

  1. Spanish Central: Translation of hay fever Nglish: Translation of hay fever for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hay fever for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hay fever

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

burke

play

to suppress quietly or indirectly

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image989362072
8 Words That Put One Over on You

They'll put one over on you

alt-59ee3fc46688e
'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

The word has quickly taken center stage

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Add Diction
Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game