infectious disease

noun

: a disease (such as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus) caused by the entrance into the body of pathogenic agents or microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) which grow and multiply there compare communicable disease, contagious disease

Examples of infectious disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The release of Fauci's text messages could further rekindle a yearslong dispute between Fauci and congressional Republicans about how the federal government's former top infectious disease expert responded to the coronavirus pandemic. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Advertisement For most healthy people, bedding isn’t a major source of infectious disease. — Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

The licensed rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine (Ervebo) transformed the response to outbreaks caused by EBOV remains one of the greatest achievements in infectious disease research. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026

Between his time in public office and the start of the pandemic in 2020, el Sayed started his own podcast, America Dissected, and became a go-to infectious disease pundit. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for infectious disease

• idiosyncrasies
• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes

Kids Definition

infectious disease

noun

: a disease caused by the presence, growth, and increase in numbers of germs in the body

Medical Definition

infectious disease

noun

: a disease (as influenza, malaria, meningitis, rabies, or tetanus) caused by the entrance into the body of pathogenic agents or microorganisms (as bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi) which grow and multiply there compare communicable disease, contagious disease