hay fever

noun

Updated on: 16 Apr 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

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
Rhinitis is a symptom of the common cold or hay fever, but chronic sinusitis lasts longer than those issues.

— korin miller, SELF, "Selma Blair Spent Her Valentine's Day Getting a Steroid Injection in Her Sinuses," 15 Feb. 2018
For years, she had been treated for allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, and cough-variant asthma, which is a type of asthma characterized by a dry, non-productive cough.

— jamie garfield, Philly.com, "Medical Mystery: The cough that would not stop," 5 Feb. 2018
Initially, Scott thought her breakout in full-body hives was hay fever — an allergic reaction triggered by her neighbor mowing the grass.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Woman With Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria Shares Photos of Skin Rash," 22 Jan. 2018
These range from the popular (zero waiting lists for nurseries) to the Utopian (zero hay fever).

— The Economist, "Abandoning hopeVoters are not impressed with Japan’s new opposition party," 19 Oct. 2017

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

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