pneumonia

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

Examples of pneumonia in a Sentence

He caught pneumonia over the winter.

Recent Examples on the Web

The couple miraculously survived the night, though Avdotya died of pneumonia a few days later. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "The Dramatic True Story Of Russia's Last Dynasty, The Romanovs," 5 July 2019 The bacteria can cause an infection known as Legionnaires' disease, or Pontiac fever, a severe form of pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, "Bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease found at Ford plant," 26 June 2019 He was later evacuated out, almost dead of pneumonia. — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "Silent soldiers of WWII and the memories they left behind," 7 June 2019 Unfortunately, for her plan, Eddy died of pneumonia at age 28. — Nancy Bilyeau, Town & Country, "The Real People Who Inspired Game of Thrones," 10 Apr. 2019 Weeks before Johana Medina Leon died of pneumonia in a Texas hospital, the asylum seeker from El Salvador had requested medical treatment while detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. — Tatiana Sanchez, SFChronicle.com, "Family files claim against ICE after transgender asylum seeker dies," 13 June 2019 Diagnosed with pneumonia at a children’s hospital, Wilmer died about a month later. — Washington Post, "Guatemalans still risk migration despite child deaths in US," 6 June 2019 Tauscher died in April at age 67 after a four-month battle with pneumonia. — Casey Tolan, The Mercury News, "Former congresswoman Ellen Tauscher remembered at East Bay memorial service," 6 June 2019 These secondary infections can damage organs, cause pneumonia or get into the bloodstream, causing another kind of immune system overreaction called sepsis. — Maggie Fox, NBC News, "Here’s how the flu virus kills some people so quickly," 22 Jan. 2018

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.

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Last Updated

12 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for pneumonia

The first known use of pneumonia was in 1603

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More Definitions for pneumonia

pneumonia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pneumonia

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

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

pneumonia

noun

pneu·mo·nia | \ nu̇-ˈmō-nyə

, nyu̇-ˈmō-\

Kids Definition of pneumonia

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

pneumonia

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