smallpox
noun
\
Definition of smallpox
: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus (species Variola virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus), is characterized by a skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and is believed to have been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination
— called also
variola
Examples of smallpox in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each of the vials originally contained 100 doses of the vaccine, which is usually reserved for people at high risk of smallpox (such as military personnel), yet one vial was partially used. ? — Susan Scutti, CNN, "FDA cracks down on clinics marketing unapproved stem cell therapies," 10 May 2018 The threat of the spread of smallpox, which white men carried with them, loomed as well. — Author: Meagan Flynn, Anchorage Daily News, "Canada apologizes for brutal hanging of B.C. tribal chiefs 150 years ago," 27 Mar. 2018 It was built to serve the French population in 1860 during a smallpox scare. — Frank Shyong, latimes.com, "Chinatown's only hospital will reopen as an outpatient clinic," 6 July 2018 Smallpox was eradicated by 1980, after generations of research and immunization; many Americans born before 1972 have smallpox vaccination scars. — Rebecca Spalding, Bloomberg.com, "The DNA Cops Who Make Sure the World’s Deadliest Viruses Aren’t Rebuilt," 27 June 2018 The ring vaccination strategy was used against smallpox in the 1970s until it was officially declared eradicated in 1980. — David Mckenzie, CNN, "Fear and failure: How Ebola sparked a global health revolution," 26 May 2018 This was the start of Pontiac’s War, a series of sieges and battles that lasted a full year and ended with the British using smallpox blankets to commit biological warfare against the natives. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "There is a national Memorial to Fallen Educators and it is about to add 10 new names," 19 June 2018 This method eradicated smallpox at the end of the 1970s. — NBC News, "Ebola virus outbreak likely over in Congo, WHO says," 6 July 2018 More than one-third of the 300 Native Americans there died during a 1739 outbreak of measles and smallpox. — Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, "Visceral ties discussed, not felt at Alamo meetings," 23 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smallpox.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
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Dictionary Entries near smallpox
Statistics for smallpox
Last Updated
27 Aug 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for smallpox
The first known use of smallpox was circa 1562
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More Definitions for smallpox
smallpox
noun
English Language Learners Definition of smallpox
: a serious disease that causes fever and a rash and often death
See the full definition for smallpox in the English Language Learners Dictionary
smallpox
noun
\
Kids Definition of smallpox
: a sometimes deadly disease in which fever and skin rash occur and which is believed to have been wiped out worldwide by vaccination
smallpox
noun
\
Medical Definition of smallpox
: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus of the genus Orthopoxvirus (species Variola virus), is characterized by skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and is believed to have been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination
— called also
variola
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