monkeypox

noun

mon·​key·​pox ˈməŋ-kē-ˌpäks 

: mpox

Note: This disease was first identified in monkeys in 1958, although the natural reservoir (see reservoir sense 3a) has not been identified. The virus has been found in various animals including rodents and primates.

Note: As of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses the name mpox to refer to this disease due to the stigmatizing nature of the original name.

Examples of monkeypox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Threats include bacterial and viral diseases such as monkeypox, leptospirosis and salmonellosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025

But the name monkeypox stuck until 2022, when the virus took off globally. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 12 Sep. 2025

In 2022, Florida was part of a nationwide outbreak of monkeypox. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025

Trump’s attacks on the civil service have stripped the government of the experienced public officials needed to manage public health responses; cuts to USAID, for example, have frozen its work in Africa to contain Marburg virus, monkeypox, and other diseases with pandemic potential. —Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for monkeypox

• aftershocks
• chatterbox
• equinox
• goldilocks
• hollyhocks
• interlocks
• orthodox
• paradox
• tomahawks
• balks
• blocks
• blocs

Medical Definition

monkeypox

noun

mon·​key·​pox ˈməŋ-kē-ˌpäks 

: mpox

Note: As of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses the name mpox to refer to this disease due to the stigmatizing nature of the original name.