leukemia

noun

leu·ke·mia | \lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

Definition of leukemia

: an acute or chronic disease in humans and other warm-blooded animals characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues and often in the blood

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Gadot held and kissed Sahady's 7-month-old daughter, Karalyne, who is being treated for an aggressive form of pediatric cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Dressed as Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot surprises kids in children's hospital," 9 July 2018 Upon meeting a young leukemia patient at a book signing in St. Louis -- a boy who binge-watched Bourdain's TV shows while in the hospital -- Bourdain answered the young foodie's question about where to find the best seafood. — Jessica Campisi And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "The small (but not insignificant) ways Anthony Bourdain made a difference in the lives of some everyday people," 9 June 2018 Targeted drugs for cancer date back to Herceptin, approved for breast cancer in 1998, and the 2001 approval of the leukemia drug Gleevec, both of which have saved many lives. — Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, "A cancer drug tailored to your tumor? Experts trade barbs over ‘precision oncology’," 24 Apr. 2018 The 13-year-old Malone, who endured several years of chemotherapy and in 2014 received a bone marrow transplant from his twin brother Michael, had his leukemia return in February. — Alex Kushel, Sun-Sentinel.com, "West Boynton LL welcomes teen battling leukemia to Opening Day," 31 Mar. 2018 Reality is getting a call from the doctor and saying your kid has leukemia. — Nick Canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Grant and Orsillo offer welcome frivolity in Padres’ TV booth," 14 July 2018 Three days later, the results showed a blast cell which can be a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer. — Blake Sebring, Post-Tribune, "Town rallies around baby who successfully fought off cancer," 14 June 2018 After visiting many specialists, the family finally found a pediatrician who suggested Quentin could have leukemia. — Maria Clark, NOLA.com, "New Orleans teen survives cancer thanks to sister's stem cells, shares his story at the Vatican," 6 June 2018 Parking problem: Downtown Fishers residents irked by overnight parking ban Cancer fight: My teammate had leukemia. — Maureen C. Gilmer, Indianapolis Star, "'I know she's with God ... but I just miss her,' says mom of student who died in fall overseas," 1 June 2018

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

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Last Updated

4 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for leukemia

The first known use of leukemia was in 1850

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More Definitions for leukemia

leukemia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of leukemia

medical : a very serious disease in which the body forms too many white blood cells

See the full definition for leukemia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

leukemia

noun

leu·ke·mia | \lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

Kids Definition of leukemia

: a serious disease in which too many white blood cells are formed

leukemia

noun

leu·ke·mia | \lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

variants: also leucemia \lü-ˈkē- also lü-ˈsē- \ or chiefly British leukaemia also leucaemia

Medical Definition of leukemia

: an acute or chronic disease of unknown cause in humans and other warm-blooded animals that involves the blood-forming organs, is characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues of the body with or without a corresponding increase of those in the circulating blood, and is classified according to the type of white blood cell most prominently involved — see acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, feline leukemia, lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphocytic leukemia, monocytic leukemia, myelogenous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia