std

1 of 3

abbreviation (1)

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

STD

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

doctor of sacred theology

Examples of std in a Sentence

Noun a discussion of AIDS and other STDs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Instead, the state’s STD prevention budget went down by more than 75%, reducing its capacity to respond to syphilis, according to Dawn Cribb at the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Kenya Hunter, Fortune Well, 28 Oct. 2023 That could change as more research is done, said Mermin, who oversees the CDC’s STD efforts. Mike Stobbe, Fortune Well, 2 Oct. 2023 Mario Pérez, director of its division of HIV and STD programs, said that to make a dent in the STD crisis, the department wants most community groups to screen 10,000 to 20,000 people each annually. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 In the five or six years she’s been working in an STD clinic, Dowler has seen the average age of her patients go from teens and 20s to 40s. Laurie Yarnell, Good Housekeeping, 16 June 2023 Mena, of the CDC, said there is no sign the STD trend is slowing. Mike Stobbe, ajc, 11 Apr. 2023 David Harvey, the executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said that without a concerted effort, the rise will continue. Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 11 Apr. 2023 An increase in the number of newborns with this disease means that too many women are going through pregnancy without comprehensive prenatal care, notes Dr. Winston Tilghman, medical director of the county public health department’s HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2023 The county said that to improve the program, its HIV and STD division and Audacy had rolled out new features, including a new platform that notifies community groups at each step of the ordering process and allows Audacy to track information to ensure that packages are delivered. Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'std.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

sexually transmitted disease

Abbreviation (2)

New Latin sacrae theologiae doctor

First Known Use

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of std was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near std

Cite this Entry

“Std.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/std. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

STD

noun
ˌes-ˌtē-ˈdē
: any of various diseases (as syphilis and gonorrhea) that are usually transmitted by direct sexual contact and that include some (as hepatitis and AIDS) that may be contracted by other than sexual means

Medical Definition

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!