incubation period

noun

: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the illness or disease it causes

Examples of incubation period in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the incubation period is exceptionally long. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 11 June 2026

There is an incubation period of two weeks, according to BARCS. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 5 June 2026

The administration has insisted people who have Ebola or are at high risk of having been infected will not be allowed into the United States until they have been cured or have gone through quarantine for the 21-day incubation period. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 4 June 2026

The incubation period -- or the time that passes between exposure and when the first symptoms appear -- for the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is believed to be behind the cruise ship cluster, is 42 days. —ABC News, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incubation period

• myriad
• photoperiod

Kids Definition

incubation period

noun

1

: the period of brooding or incubating required to bring an egg to hatching

2

: the period between infection with a germ and the appearance of the disease or illness it causes

Medical Definition

incubation period

noun

: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the disease it causes

Mono, which has an incubation period of 30 to 50 days, characteristically announces itself with headaches, fever, sore throat, tonsillitis, and extreme fatigue.

—Your Health & Fitness

Quarantines worked to control the SARS epidemic because SARS is much less contagious than flu and has a longer incubation period.

—Christine Gorman, Time