pneumonia

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noun pneu·mo·nia \ nu̇-ˈmō-nyə , nyu̇- \

Definition of pneumonia

:an acute disease that is marked by inflammation of lung tissue accompanied by infiltration of alveoli and often bronchioles with white blood cells (such as neutrophils) and fibrinous exudate, is characterized by fever, chills, cough, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, chest pain, and reduced lung expansion, and is typically caused by an infectious agent (such as a bacterium, virus, or fungus) — see bronchopneumonia, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, primary atypical pneumonia — compare pneumonitis

See pneumonia defined for English-language learners

See pneumonia defined for kids

Examples of pneumonia in a Sentence

He caught pneumonia over the winter.

Recent Examples of pneumonia from the Web

Last year, UW Medicine officials installed filters, flushed water systems and took other steps at the hospital to prevent the spread of Legionella bacteria, which cause this type of pneumonia.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Woman dies at UW Medical Center after Legionnaires’ disease reported in 3 patients," 25 Aug. 2017
The doctor diagnosed him with bronchial pneumonia and directed him to take time off.

— jeff maysh, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Cop Who Became a Robber," 22 Aug. 2017
The children died from tuberculosis, pneumonia, flu.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "It's Not Just Southern States Reckoning with Racist History Right Now," 21 Aug. 2017
Long weighed 200 pounds as a freshman before suffering from pneumonia and ending the season at 180.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Countdown to Football: Lake Central ranked No. 9 in preseason by Post-Tribune," 9 Aug. 2017
That sponge in your kitchen sink harbors zillions of microbes, including close relatives of the bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis, according to a new study.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "Your kitchen sponge harbors zillions of microbes. Cleaning it could make things worse," 28 July 2017
His father, Harry Morrison, a member of the Meeting Creek Lodge 641 in Hardin County, had died during the ’37 flood from pneumonia.

— kristina goetz, The Courier-Journal, "Orphans come back to ‘The Home’ that took them in when no one else could," 20 July 2017
Keiko died in 2003 after the sudden onset of pneumonia in the Taknes fjord in Norway.

— rocky barker and brittany peterson, idahostatesman, "Fate of Pacific Northwest orcas tied to having enough Columbia River salmon," 9 July 2017
Hospitals routinely put asthmatics with pneumonia in intensive care, improving their outcomes.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "How AI detectives are cracking open the black box of deep learning," 6 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of pneumonia

New Latin, from Greek, from pneumōn lung, alteration of pleumōn — more at pulmonary

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1603

See Words from the same year

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

PNEUMONIA Defined for English Language Learners

pneumonia

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noun

Definition of pneumonia for English Language Learners

medical : a serious disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe

PNEUMONIA Defined for Kids

pneumonia

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noun pneu·mo·nia \ nu̇-ˈmō-nyə , nyu̇-ˈmō- \

Definition of pneumonia for Students

:a serious illness affecting the lungs that is marked especially by fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing

Medical Dictionary

pneumonia

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noun pneu·mo·nia \ n(y)u̇-ˈmō-nyə \

medical Definition of pneumonia

:an acute disease that is marked by inflammation of lung tissue accompanied by infiltration of alveoli and often bronchioles with white blood cells (as neutrophils) and fibrinous exudate, is characterized by fever, chills, cough, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, chest pain, and reduced lung expansion, and is typically caused by an infectious agent (as a bacterium, virus, or fungus) — see bronchopneumonia, lobar pneumonia, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, primary atypical pneumonia