typhus

ty·phus | \ ˈtī-fəs

Definition of typhus

: any of various bacterial diseases caused by rickettsias: such as

a : a severe human febrile disease that is caused by one (Rickettsia prowazekii) transmitted especially by body lice and is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium, intense headache, and a dark red rash

b : murine typhus

c : scrub typhus

Examples of typhus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cholera, typhus, typhoid fever all mean nothing to most Americans today, but President Lincoln’s son was killed by typhoid fever. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "From parade to pandemic: Museum looks at 1918’s deadly flu," 27 Sep. 2019 Outbreak: As homeless are suffering, risk of hepatitis, typhus and other diseases is growing Why 'public health emergency'? — Sara Marino, USA TODAY, "Florida health officials declare public health emergency for hepatitis A," 3 Aug. 2019 Pilecki survived typhus and many, many random selections for killing. — Neal Bascomb, WSJ, "‘The Volunteer’ Review: A Noble Hero in a Savage New World," 12 July 2019 In November, among the violations at the station on East 6th Street, according to the state, was that the LAPD did not train employees about how the dangerous bacterial disease typhus is transmitted, its symptoms or measures for prevention. — Mark Puente, latimes.com, "Following rat infestation, LAPD deploys robot to sanitize Central Division station," 28 June 2019 Testing for typhus can take weeks, so treatment is usually started before results are available. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "Rash, fever, fatigue: San Antonio veterinarian calls attention to flea-borne typhus," 10 Aug. 2019 Other monarchs used the tactic for good reason—in 1608, for example, James IV issued a prorogation in response to a typhus epidemic in London. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "The dramatic history of prorogation in British parliament," 29 Aug. 2019 People commonly contract this type of typhus after spending significant time outside or coming into contact with wild animals like opossums, rats and cats. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "Rash, fever, fatigue: San Antonio veterinarian calls attention to flea-borne typhus," 10 Aug. 2019 Some can be downright dangerous, transmitting viruses (yellow fever, encephalitis, dengue fever, West Nile disease), bacteria (Lyme disease, typhus) or parasites (malaria, sleeping sickness). — Washington Post, "Some common garden plants might help keep bugs away," 6 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'typhus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Typhus.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/typhus. Accessed 9 December 2019.

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More Definitions for typhus

typhus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of typhus

medical : a serious disease that is carried by small insects that live on the bodies of people and animals and that causes high fever, headache, and a dark red rash

See the full definition for typhus in the English Language Learners Dictionary

typhus

noun

ty·phus | \ ˈtī-fəs