pandemic 1 of 2

Definition of pandemicnext
as in epidemic
medical an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world The 1918 flu pandemic claimed millions of lives. the AIDS pandemic

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pandemic

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pandemic
Noun
Though the gauge measuring American consumers’ confidence has ticked up the past two months, the reading remains mired near its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Ott, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026 Both figures are a far cry from the mid-to-upper teens full-year operating margin that Starbucks routinely delivered before the pandemic. Paulina Likos, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Finn succeeds outgoing president John Rakich, who led the guild for five years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of global growth. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 May 2026 Hantavirus pandemic potential The risk posed by hantavirus to the wider public is low, according to the WHO on May 4. Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pandemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pandemic
Noun
  • The World Health Organization has repeatedly said the risk to the general public is currently considered low and is not calling the outbreak an epidemic.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
  • That's a lot of epidemic/pandemic/plandemic experience in just 30 years.
    Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Adjective
  • In the greater public, a dangerous, inchoate rage directed at Barack Obama persists alongside the widespread affection for him.
    Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • But activists say abuses are still widespread and that workers have few avenues to pursue justice.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026
Adjective
  • Crimes were investigated and solved long before governments had the ability to collect pervasive location and behavioral data on ordinary people — and they are still solved today without it.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
  • History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, revealing the still-pervasive worldviews that justified their collection in the first place.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • Indeed, caves are prevalent throughout the city, and the recent findings revealed far more than anyone had realized.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
  • Don’t be tempted to skimp on spacing to squeeze in more plants, or disease will become more prevalent, and fruit production will suffer.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 2026
Adjective
  • Bus lanes there are physically separated from general traffic.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
  • While general manager Jeff Pagliocca has been quick to trade high draft picks in the past, the front office still has a desire to build through the draft — and has not been successful in that endeavor.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • Even pro-war Telegram channels inside Russia have been rife with such theories and predictions.
    Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • Skepticism was rife, and CNN barely scraped along in its early years.
    Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • Cost of living, public safety and border security are hurting working families.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
  • In California, the effects of the breach rippled across the state’s largest public and private institutions within hours Thursday.
    Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Adjective
  • The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.
    Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pandemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pandemic. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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