public health

noun

: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

Examples of public health in a Sentence

a disease that poses a serious threat to public health She got her degree in public health. Public health officials warned of an influenza outbreak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His comments landed like a cultural Rorschach test, offering the most high-profile entry yet into an ongoing debate about whether alcohol is, primarily, a public health problem or a useful social crutch. Aria Bendix, NBC news, 24 Jan. 2026 As public health departments across the country prepared for a massive winter storm this weekend, notice landed in their inboxes that pivotal grant funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was paused. Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026 This is a striking shift and reversal of the prior focus from this Centers for Disease Control committee, which focused on public health. Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026 Designed for students interested in careers in medicine, public health, or health policy, this course will challenge students to rethink the ethical and epistemological frameworks that underlie modern healthcare. Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public health

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public health was in 1617

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Cite this Entry

“Public health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20health. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

Medical Definition

public health

noun
pub·​lic health ˌpəb-lik- How to pronounce public health (audio)
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

More from Merriam-Webster on public health

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