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

Both bypass the surveillance infrastructure--culture and sensitivity data, prescription registries, outbreak tracking--that allows public health agencies to monitor and respond to resistance trends. — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Specifically, geographic differences between who benefited from the medical and public health improvements that reduced cancer deaths were stark. — Arthur Cosby, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Then, in 2024, state law AB 3233 was adopted, clarifying that cities and counties have the authority to restrict or prohibit oil and gas operations \within their jurisdictions to protect public health and the environment. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 23 June 2026

The outbreak is unfolding just two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the annual flu shot optional for troops, scrapping the military's requirement for it, which dates to 1945, a move breaking with longstanding public health directives. — Luis Martinez, ABC News, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public health

• commonwealth
• telehealth
• bridewealth
• stealth
• wealth

Medical Definition

public health

noun

pub·​lic health ˌpəb-lik- 

: 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