flu
Americannoun
-
a specific variety of influenza, usually named for its point of dissemination or its animal vector.
Hong Kong flu; swine flu.
noun
-
short for influenza
-
any of various viral infections, esp a respiratory or intestinal infection
Etymology
Origin of flu
First recorded in 1830–40; shortened form
Compare meaning
How does flu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Indeed, history is filled with examples of this, from the medieval Black Death hitchhiking along the Silk Road to the “Russian flu” pandemic of the late 19th century that was accelerated by trains and steamships.
From Salon
Prices plummeted last year as a bird flu outbreak eased, but the pace of cooling has slowed in recent months.
From Barron's
If I came down with a bad cold or the flu, Daisy would put on her uniform and go to work.
From Literature
Raw chicken was also suspected as the cause of a major bird flu outbreak at a tiger zoo in Chonburi province in 2004.
From BBC
"The last time we saw a wreck on this scale was 2014," Wrobel added, "and after the impact of avian flu this is the last thing our seabirds need".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
