1
2
: a harmful development (as in a social institution)
sees the city's crime as a disease
3
obsolete
: trouble
Synonyms
Examples of disease in a Sentence
He suffers from a rare genetic disease.
a disease of the mind
Thousands die of heart disease each year.
They are working to stop the spread of disease in rural areas.
The article cites intolerance as one of the most dangerous of society's diseases.
He sees crime as a disease that too often plagues the poor and disadvantaged.
Recent Examples on the Web
This can lead to detrimental long-term health effects, such as triggering chronic conditions such as asthma as well as obstructive lung disease like bronchitis.
—
Omer Awan, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, possibly a million or more, were swept into camps and prisons, with former detainees reporting abuse, disease and, in some cases, death.
—Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Some people have trouble absorbing this vitamin due to disease, gastric surgery, or medication.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 11 Jan. 2025
Other studies revealed that some people naturally shed large amounts of virus and that people’s bodies fight off infection by increasing an immune pathway called the interferon response, providing a potential target mechanism to help reduce transmission and disease.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disease 
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Omer Awan, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, possibly a million or more, were swept into camps and prisons, with former detainees reporting abuse, disease and, in some cases, death.
—Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Some people have trouble absorbing this vitamin due to disease, gastric surgery, or medication.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 11 Jan. 2025
Other studies revealed that some people naturally shed large amounts of virus and that people’s bodies fight off infection by increasing an immune pathway called the interferon response, providing a potential target mechanism to help reduce transmission and disease.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disease
Dictionary Entries Near disease
Cite this Entry
“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disease. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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Medical Definition
disease
noun
dis·ease
diz-ˈēz 
: an impairment of the normal state of the living animal or plant body or one of its parts that interrupts or modifies the performance of the vital functions, is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms, and is a response to environmental factors (as malnutrition, industrial hazards, or climate), to specific infective agents (as worms, bacteria, or viruses), to inherent defects of the organism (as genetic anomalies), or to combinations of these factors : sickness, illness
called also morbus
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