hepatitis B

noun

: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a DNA virus (species Hepatitis B virus of the genus Orthohepadnavirus, family Hepadnaviridae), is marked chiefly by fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, darkened urine, jaundice, and joint pain but may be asymptomatic, and is transmitted especially by contact with infected blood (as by transfusion or by sharing contaminated needles in illicit intravenous drug use) or by contact with other infected bodily fluids (such as semen)

Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.

called also serum hepatitis

Examples of hepatitis B in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, denounced the move as sowing distrust in safe and effective immunizations, and warned Wednesday against curbing hepatitis B recommendations. Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 26 June 2025 Thanks to vaccination, there were only 13 cases of hepatitis B in 2022. ArsTechnica, 25 June 2025 Over time, the schedule has expanded to include protection against more than a dozen infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and influenza. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 Some locations offer vaccination against HPV, hepatitis B, Covid and influenza. Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hepatitis B

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hepatitis B was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Hepatitis B.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hepatitis%20B. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

hepatitis B

noun
: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a double-stranded DNA virus (species Hepatitis B virus of the genus Orthohepadnavirus, family Hepadnaviridae), is marked chiefly by fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, darkened urine, jaundice, and joint pain but may be asymptomatic, and is transmitted especially by contact with infected blood (as by transfusion or by sharing contaminated needles in illicit intravenous drug use) or by contact with other infected body fluids (as semen)

Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.

called also serum hepatitis

More from Merriam-Webster on hepatitis B

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