: an acute contagious viral disease that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus (Rubivirus rubellae) and milder than typical measles but is damaging to the fetus when occurring early in pregnancy : german measles
Examples of rubella in a Sentence
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When Reef’s work began, less than half the world’s countries had introduced a rubella shot.
—
Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
The National Medical Association has said that decades of independent, global scientific inquiry has found no association between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorder.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026
Last month Hobbs brought her 5-year-old twins, Joseph and Alice, to a mobile vaccine clinic to get their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
Stopping the spread of measles Nigeria carried out one of its largest vaccination campaigns ever in 2025, reaching around 106 million children with protection against measles, rubella and polio.
—Forbes.com, 9 Jan. 2026
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Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
The National Medical Association has said that decades of independent, global scientific inquiry has found no association between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorder.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026
Last month Hobbs brought her 5-year-old twins, Joseph and Alice, to a mobile vaccine clinic to get their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
Stopping the spread of measles Nigeria carried out one of its largest vaccination campaigns ever in 2025, reaching around 106 million children with protection against measles, rubella and polio.
—Forbes.com, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubella
Cite this Entry
“Rubella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubella. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rubella
noun
ru·bel·la
rü-ˈbel-ə 
Medical Definition
rubella
noun
ru·bel·la
rü-ˈbel-ə
: an acute contagious disease that is milder than typical measles but is damaging to the fetus when occurring early in pregnancy and that is caused by a matonavirus (Rubivirus rubellae) : german measles see maternal rubella
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