pox

1 of 2

noun

plural pox or poxes
1
a
: a virus disease (such as chicken pox) characterized by pustules or eruptions
b
archaic : smallpox
c
2
: a disastrous evil : plague, curse
a pox on him
poxy adjective

pox

2 of 2

verb

poxed; poxing; poxes

transitive verb

archaic
: to infect with a pox and especially with syphilis

Examples of pox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Witnesses recall seeing sufferers with so many pox on their faces that their features were no longer identifiable. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024 Importing live animals from Greece was banned after a separate disease – goat pox – was detected last October. Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 7 Aug. 2024 But then Bacon, now with pox, visits George and asks for one small act of personal vengeance, which George agrees to because MEN. Alice Burton, Vulture, 10 May 2024 Many of these voters may simply be casting a pox on both the Justice Department and the defendant. Noah Rothman, National Review, 20 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for pox 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of pocks, plural of pock

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pox was circa 1530

Dictionary Entries Near pox

Cite this Entry

“Pox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pox. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

pox

noun
ˈpäks
: a disease (as chicken pox) that is caused by a virus and produces a rash on the skin

Medical Definition

pox

noun
plural pox or poxes
1
: a virus disease (as chicken pox) characterized by pustules or eruptions
2
archaic : smallpox
3

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