pneumococcus

pneu·mo·coc·cus | \ ˌnü-mə-ˈkä-kəs

How to pronounce pneumococcus (audio)

, ˌnyü- \

plural pneumococci\ ˌnü-mə-ˈkäk-ˌsī

How to pronounce pneumococci (audio)

, -ˌsē ; -ˈkä-ˌkī , -ˌkē , ˌnyü- \

Definition of pneumococcus

: a bacterium (Streptococcus pneumoniae) that causes an acute pneumonia involving one or more lobes of the lung

Other Words from pneumococcus Example Sentences Learn More about pneumococcus

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of pneumococcus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Last week, Merkel received a vaccine shot against pneumococcus, a pneumonia-causing bacteria, from a doctor who later tested positive for coronavirus, her office said Sunday. — NBC News, "Pompeo: Iran supreme leader's 'fabrications' about coronavirus put lives at risk," 24 Mar. 2020 Conversely, researchers note drops in other diseases such as pneumococcus and diarrhea after widespread adoption of measles vaccinations. — National Geographic, "What's it like moving farther from home?," 6 Nov. 2019 However, the data show that’s not the case: Not only did cases of measles plummet once vaccine use became widespread, but cases of other diseases dropped as well—pneumococcus, diarrhea, and more. — National Geographic, "Measles vaccines protect against more than just measles. Here's how.," 4 Mar. 2019 The pneumococcus bacteria can cause deadly secondary infections, especially in older people who get the flu or whooping cough. — Paul Sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Which vaccines do home caregivers need?," 24 Apr. 2018 Bacterial meningitis is often caused by pneumococcus, which can be prevented by vaccine. — Lynne Terry, OregonLive.com, "Gresham mom, 36, gets flu; days later she dies," 24 Jan. 2018 But when our defenses fail us, pneumococcus can migrate, multiply, and set off life-threatening infectious disease. — Annabelle Timsit, The Atlantic, "Drugs in Afghanistan and Vaccines in Bangladesh: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing," 27 Oct. 2017 Mrs. Clinton’s pneumonia affects her right lung’s middle lobe, according to Dr. Bardack, a location that suggests that it was caused by bacteria, commonly pneumococcus. — Lawrence K. Altman, M.d., New York Times, "How Healthy Is Hillary Clinton? Doctors Weigh In," 18 Sep. 2016

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about pneumococcus

Dictionary Entries near pneumococcus

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Statistics for pneumococcus

Cite this Entry

“Pneumococcus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pneumococcus. Accessed 27 Nov. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

ulterior

Listen to the pronunciation of ulterior

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

A Thanksgiving Word Quiz

November comes from a word for which of the following numbers?

10 12
11 9

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.