MERS

noun

ˈmərz How to pronounce MERS (audio)
: a serious viral respiratory illness that is marked by fever, cough, and shortness of breath and that may often progress to severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome and organ failure

Note: MERS is caused by a coronavirus (species Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus of the genus Betacoronavirus) related to the causative virus of SARS. The first cases of MERS appeared in Saudi Arabia and most cases originate from countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula.

see mers-cov

Examples of MERS in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Many of the disease scares of recent decades—SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika—in large part spared the U.S. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025 And this research prepared us for SARS-CoV, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2. — Dave Wessner, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle East respiratory syndrome

First Known Use

2013, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of MERS was in 2013

Phrases Containing MERS

Rhymes for MERS

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Browse Nearby Words

merrywing
MERS
MERS-CoV
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Cite this Entry

“MERS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MERS. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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Medical Definition

MERS

noun
ˈmərz How to pronounce MERS (audio)
: a serious viral respiratory illness that is marked by fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and that may often progress to severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome and organ failure

Note: MERS is caused by a coronavirus (species Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus of the genus Betacoronavirus) related to the causative virus of SARS. The first cases of MERS appeared in Saudi Arabia and most cases originate from countries in or near the Arabian peninsula.

For some patients, the route of infection is completely unclear. Still, most scientists now believe that camels are the key to controlling MERS.— Martin Enserink, Science

called also Middle East respiratory syndrome

see mers-cov
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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