hookworm

noun

hook·worm | \ ˈhu̇k-ˌwərm

Definition of hookworm

1 : any of several parasitic nematode worms (family Ancylostomatidae) that have strong buccal hooks or plates for attaching to the host's intestinal lining and that include serious bloodsucking pests

2 : infestation with or disease caused by hookworms especially : a lethargic anemic state in humans due to blood loss from hookworms feeding in the small intestine

Examples of hookworm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Their other work had centered on neglected diseases associated with poverty, like hookworm infections. — NBC News, 7 Jan. 2022 Many of the problems in those areas have been heavily publicized, from rural hospital closures to the rise of hookworm in Lowndes County. — Ramsey Archibald | Rarchibald@al.com, al, 13 Aug. 2021 Investigations [of] diseases like hookworm and pellagra and attempts to control the spread of malaria, to control mosquitoes, and then gradually take on more and more of these responsibilities. — The Atlantic, 27 May 2021 Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs donated 10,000 pills of albendazole to go toward care for children with hookworm infection in rural Alabama. — Dom Difurio, Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2021 The first drug being produced by the company is a generic treatment for hookworm called albendazole. — Dom Difurio, Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2021 Black Belt have been a black eye for the state for years, with officials from the United Nations comparing sewage conditions here to developing nations, and researchers finding evidence that hookworm is impacting people in the region. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 31 Dec. 2020 This is also a problem for vaccines under development for parasitic illnesses such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and hookworm infection, Bethony says. — Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, 28 Dec. 2020 But in MacArthur grant-winning Catherine Coleman Flowers’ birthplace of Lowndes County, Alabama, one in three residents tested positive for a hookworm infection. — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2020 See More

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

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Cite this Entry

“Hookworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hookworm. Accessed 26 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for hookworm

hookworm

noun

hook·worm | \ ˈhu̇k-ˌwərm

Kids Definition of hookworm

: a small worm that lives in the intestines and makes people sick by sucking their blood

hookworm

noun

hook·worm | \ ˈhu̇k-ˌwərm

Medical Definition of hookworm

1 : any of several parasitic nematode worms of the family Ancylostomatidae that have strong buccal hooks or plates for attaching to the host's intestinal lining and that include serious bloodsucking pests

2 : ancylostomiasis