hepatitis B

noun

: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a DNA virus (Orthohepadnavirus hominoidei of the 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

Cassidy, a hepatologist who has treated patients with severe liver damage from hepatitis B, including some who died from the infection, didn’t let the issue drop. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026

Cassidy grew visibly frustrated during this exchange, arguing the nominee was undermining trust in the CDC, the hepatitis B vaccine, and mRNA research. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 July 2026

Kaufman has also been criticized for arguing in the past against giving infants the hepatitis B vaccine and questioning if vaccines are connected to autism and other health issues. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends travelers heading there be up to date on routine vaccines (like chickenpox, flu, polio, measles, and more), along with vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and typhoid. — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hepatitis B

• actuary
• antiquary
• bolsheviki
• bronchoscopy
• calliope
• chelicerae
• colposcopy
• covenantee
• cruciferae
• cystoscopy
• diastole
• distributee

Medical Definition

hepatitis B

noun

-ˈbē 

: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a double-stranded DNA virus (Orthohepadnavirus hominoidei of the 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 (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 homologous serum hepatitis, homologous serum jaundice, serum hepatitis