infectious disease

noun

: a disease (such as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus) caused by the entrance into the body of pathogenic agents or microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) which grow and multiply there compare communicable disease, contagious disease

Examples of infectious disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The city administers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants for services as varied as affordable housing and lead hazard reduction to preparing for infectious disease outbreaks to highway planning and traffic enforcement, according to the complaint. —Alison Dirr, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The use of mRNA in vaccines has opened new doors beyond infectious disease. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025

Such figures, infectious disease modelers say, leave the area vulnerable to outbreaks of measles and other illnesses. —ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2025

One of the ways North Carolina healthcare workers have tried to combat this is by getting people to understand the risks of not taking them, Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC Health, told The Charlotte Observer. —Evan Moore july 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for infectious disease

• idiosyncrasies
• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes

Kids Definition

infectious disease

noun

: a disease caused by the presence, growth, and increase in numbers of germs in the body

Medical Definition

infectious disease

noun

: a disease (as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus) caused by the entrance into the body of pathogenic agents or microorganisms (as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) which grow and multiply there compare communicable disease, contagious disease