infectious disease

American

[in-fek-shuhs di-zeez] / ɪnˈfɛk ʃəs dɪˈziz /

noun

a disease caused by a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism, and often spreading by contact between individuals or by a vector such as an insect: ID

Chicken pox and cholera are infectious diseases.

infectious disease Scientific

A disease caused by a microorganism or other agent, such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus, that enters the body of an organism.

Etymology

Origin of infectious disease

First recorded in 1570–80

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.

One senior career CDC official said Beyda had proven effective at launching infectious disease initiatives and priority projects.

From The Wall Street Journal

Soldiers died in combat, from wounds, and most often from epidemics of infectious diseases such as dysentery, typhoid fever, or measles.

From Literature

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said in a statement that the tigers' deaths exposed the "extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious disease".

From BBC

The drugmaker is splitting its Human Health business into an oncology unit and a specialty, pharmaceuticals, and infectious diseases unit.

From Barron's

Many infectious diseases rely on just a handful of species to keep spreading.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023