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

Hantavirus typically has an incubation period of one to six weeks before patients start showing symptoms. —Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 8 May 2026

Whether from rodent exposure or the ultra-rare person-to-person transmission, the incubation period for hantaviruses—the amount of time between exposure and when symptoms develop—ranges from about 7 to 42 days. —ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

The virus has a long incubation period, which means the quarantine duration will likely be several weeks. —Melissa Rudy , Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026

The incubation period between exposure to the virus and developing symptoms can range from nine to 40 days. —Lauren Dunn, NBC news, 7 May 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