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

Department officials have issued a public health order to gather information that the ACHD and the Denver Health Tuberculosis Clinic need for the investigation. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 14 July 2026

The sources turned out to include cooling towers — devices sometimes used for cooling large buildings — at a city-run hospital and the site of the city's public health lab. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

Rather than exposing the consequences of a single program cut, health experts say the outbreak has revealed a public health system that has been under strain for years. — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 14 July 2026

Less robust illness tracking In 2025, in the wake of staff and funding cuts to public health agencies, the CDC scaled back one of its surveillance systems for foodborne illness. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public health

• commonwealth
• telehealth
• bridewealth
• stealth
• wealth

Medical 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