heatstroke

noun

heat·stroke | \ ˈhēt-ˌstrōk

Definition of heatstroke

: a life-threatening condition marked especially by cessation of sweating, extremely high body temperature, and collapse that results from prolonged exposure to high temperature — compare heat exhaustion, sunstroke

Examples of heatstroke in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s, heatstroke strikes quickly and can kill a child when his or her temperature reaches 107 degrees. — Ellen Byron, WSJ, "Despite Prevention Efforts, Hot-Car Casualties Are Rising," 11 Feb. 2019 Like the woman who sells water to tourists in Delhi and passes out from heatstroke at least once each summer. — Somini Sengupta, The Seattle Times, "In India, summer heat could soon be unbearable — literally," 17 July 2018 Because a child’s body heats up three to five times as fast as an adult’s, heatstroke sets in swiftly. — Ellen Byron, WSJ, "Check the Back Seat! Alerts Remind Drivers About Children," 28 July 2018 Her husband, a day laborer, suffered heatstroke this year, missing a week’s work — and a week’s pay. — Somini Sengupta, The Seattle Times, "In India, summer heat could soon be unbearable — literally," 17 July 2018 This year 29 children have died from vehicular heatstroke, on pace to make 2018 one of the deadliest on record, according to KidsAndCars.org, a child-safety advocacy group. — Ellen Byron, WSJ, "Check the Back Seat! Alerts Remind Drivers About Children," 28 July 2018 Workers and volunteers who descended on the region to help clean up and rebuild soon faced another risk: heatstroke. — Ken Moritsugu, The Seattle Times, "Deadly month: Japan’s weather-related deaths top 300 in July," 30 July 2018 Photo: Teaching Strategies Ms. Berke says the change was inspired by Karen Osorio, a Procter & Gamble scientist who lost her daughter to vehicular heatstroke last year. — Ellen Byron, WSJ, "Check the Back Seat! Alerts Remind Drivers About Children," 28 July 2018 The cause of death was heatstroke, and an external review found that the athletic staff made several mistakes in his treatment at the scene. — David Ginsburg, The Seattle Times, "Report: Maryland football not ‘toxic,’ but has problems," 25 Oct. 2018

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

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Last Updated

12 Mar 2019

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The first known use of heatstroke was in 1874

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More Definitions for heatstroke

heatstroke

noun

English Language Learners Definition of heatstroke

medical : a serious condition that happens when someone has been in high temperatures for a long time and that causes a person to stop sweating, have a very high body temperature, and become exhausted or unconscious

See the full definition for heatstroke in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heatstroke

noun

heat·stroke | \ ˈhēt-ˌstrōk

Medical Definition of heatstroke

: a life-threatening condition characterized by cessation of sweating with inadequate elimination of body heat, extremely high temperature, rapid pulse, hot dry skin, flaccid muscles, delirium, collapse, and coma and resulting from prolonged exposure to high environmental temperature which causes a dysfunction of the temperature-regulating mechanism of the body — see sunstroke — compare heat exhaustion