hay fever

noun

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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

Recent Examples of hay fever from the Web

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, and asthma can develop in children as early as two years old.

— chris couch, USA TODAY, "Ask a Doc: Can I do anything to ensure my newborn doesn't develop allergies?," 17 May 2018
Spring is in the air, which unfortunately for many of us means sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion and other symptoms associated with seasonal allergic reactions, aka, hay fever.

— NBC News, "How to prep your home for allergy season," 4 Apr. 2018
Specializes in human, animal and drug allergies, hay fever and travel vaccinations.

— peggy siegal, Town & Country, "This Underground Plastic Surgery Guide Is the Talk of the Upper East Side," 20 Nov. 2017
However, other such medications treating conditions such as hay fever or stomach cramps were not linked to dementia.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "Some antidepressants linked to dementia, study finds," 26 Apr. 2018
In the United States, food allergies affect about 5% of children and 4% of adults, and allergic rhinitis or hay fever affects about 8% of adults and children, according to the National Institutes of Health.

— jacqueline howard, CNN, "Ah-choo! These meds linked with higher allergy risk in kids," 2 Apr. 2018
In the last 12 months alone, more than 8 percent of the U.S. population were with diagnosed with hay fever.

— jessica brown, The Cut, "Everything You Need to Know About Seasonal Allergies," 26 Mar. 2018
Those allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis, can cause all sorts of pesky symptoms, like itching, sneezing, sinus pain, and more.

— emma sarran webster, Allure, "How to Prevent the 2018 Allergy Season From Getting the Best of You," 21 Feb. 2018
Tooth decay is the nation’s most common chronic childhood disease, affecting five times as many children as asthma and seven times more than hay fever, according to a U.S. Surgeon General’s report .

— janet mcconnaughey, The Seattle Times, "Entertaining toothy lessons, checkups for underserved kids," 18 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of hay fever

1829

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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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