tuberculosis
noun
tu·ber·cu·lo·sis
tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 
tyu̇-
plural tuberculoses
tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-ˌsēz
tyu̇-
: a highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium (Mycobacterium bovis), that affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (such as the kidney or spinal column), and that is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusions, and fibrosis
Examples of tuberculosis in a Sentence
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Green weaves together the moving personal narratives of real people past and present navigating tuberculosis with an incisive look at the way our society has succeeded and failed in its quest to vanquish the disease.
—
Charlotte Observer, 15 Dec. 2025
The duo encountered many young patients with lymphoma, lupus and tuberculosis during that time.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Advertisement While the reversal in childhood mortality rates is alarming, Gates remains optimistic that in a few years, the trend will start moving in the right direction again, thanks to innovations such as new vaccines for RSV and treatments for malaria and tuberculosis that are on the horizon.
—Alice Park, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
The book combines history and science to make the unsettling point that tuberculosis is nothing but a social issue tied to inequality.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
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Charlotte Observer, 15 Dec. 2025
The duo encountered many young patients with lymphoma, lupus and tuberculosis during that time.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Advertisement While the reversal in childhood mortality rates is alarming, Gates remains optimistic that in a few years, the trend will start moving in the right direction again, thanks to innovations such as new vaccines for RSV and treatments for malaria and tuberculosis that are on the horizon.
—Alice Park, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
The book combines history and science to make the unsettling point that tuberculosis is nothing but a social issue tied to inequality.
—Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tuberculosis
Cite this Entry
“Tuberculosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuberculosis. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tuberculosis
noun
tu·ber·cu·lo·sis
t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs
: a disease of human beings and some other vertebrates caused by a bacterium and usually marked by wasting, fever, and formation of cheesy tubercles that in human beings occur mostly in the lungs
tuberculous
adjective
t(y)u̇-ˈbər-kyə-ləs
Medical Definition
tuberculosis
noun
tu·ber·cu·lo·sis
t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs
plural tuberculoses
-ˌsēz
: a usually chronic highly variable disease that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis) and rarely in the United States by a related mycobacterium (M. bovis), is usually communicated by inhalation of the airborne causative agent, affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (as the kidney or spinal column) from local lesions or by way of the lymph or blood vessels, and is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, inflammatory infiltrations, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusion, and fibrosis
called also TB
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