public health
noun
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science
Examples of public health in a Sentence
a disease that poses a serious threat to public health
She got her degree in public health.
Public health officials warned of an influenza outbreak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Parasites & Power is a six-part podcast series of interwoven stories about the colonial origins of today’s global public health system.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
The researchers hypothesized that people on private health insurance were more likely to be enrolled in clinical research trials and were able to find doctors more easily than those on public health insurance.
—Ciara McCarthy 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Experts say that health for Indigenous peoples is directly tied to the environment, land, and sovereignty, and can’t be siloed into clinical discussions about medicine or public health.
—Anita Hofschneider, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Schwartz is also a proponent of vaccines, which used to be a given for one of the country’s highest public health leaders but isn’t anymore.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public health
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
The researchers hypothesized that people on private health insurance were more likely to be enrolled in clinical research trials and were able to find doctors more easily than those on public health insurance.
—Ciara McCarthy 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Experts say that health for Indigenous peoples is directly tied to the environment, land, and sovereignty, and can’t be siloed into clinical discussions about medicine or public health.
—Anita Hofschneider, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Schwartz is also a proponent of vaccines, which used to be a given for one of the country’s highest public health leaders but isn’t anymore.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public health
Cite this Entry
“Public health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20health. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
public health
noun
pub·lic health
ˌpəb-lik- 
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science
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