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
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.
Advertisement What began as a polio network has grown into a broader public health platform. Dr. Tunji Funsho, Time, 24 Oct. 2025 Upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has plunged Kentucky's public health infrastructure into a state of confusion and uncertainty, officials said, and some local departments are beginning to question the credibility of the agency's guidance. Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Oct. 2025 In practice, that would mean schools couldn’t send unvaccinated kids home, even during a measles outbreak, and private businesses and daycares couldn’t require people on their property to follow public health guidance. Audrey Dutton, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025 As a public health care district formed in 1984 to serve inland North County and a broad swath of eastern San Diego County, Palomar, like all public agencies, customarily publishes the text of its resolutions before its meetings to allow time for public review. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for public health

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public health was in 1617

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Cite this Entry

“Public health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20health. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

Medical Definition

public health

noun
pub·​lic health ˌpəb-lik- How to pronounce public health (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on public health

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