sexually transmitted disease

noun

: any of various diseases or infections that can be transmitted by direct sexual contact including some (as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and genital herpes) chiefly spread by sexual means and others (as hepatitis B and AIDS) often contracted by nonsexual means

called also STD

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Cite this Entry

“Sexually transmitted disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/sexually%20transmitted%20disease. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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