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

Growing knowledge around these and other factors would help refine masking recommendations from public health officials. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Throughout history, humans and livestock have suffered from a wide variety of destructive insect pests that threaten public health, food supplies, and property. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Primary polls show former public health official Abdul El-Sayed in the lead. — Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

On Semafor’s Mixed Signals podcast in July, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reflected on whether the Biden administration took the right approach to public health communication by urging the tech platforms to regulate health misinformation. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 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