super-spreader
noun
su·per-spread·er
ˌsü-pər-ˈspre-dər
variants
or superspreader
plural super-spreaders or superspreaders
1
: an individual who is highly contagious and capable of transmitting a communicable disease to an unusually large number of uninfected individuals
Health authorities are watching uneasily for an event that could reverse their apparent success in containing the U.S. outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome: the arrival of a so-called super-spreader.—M. A. J. McKenna
The story of a traveling British businessman who appears to have passed the coronavirus to Britons in at least three countries has prompted concerns over a 'superspreader,' who could play an outsize role in transmitting the infection.—Karla Adam
2
: an event or location at which a significant number of people contract the same communicable disease
—often used before another noun
So far, super-spreader events have occurred in a range of places including meat packing plants, prisons, nightclubs and bars—basically any venue where people are in close proximity of one another, ventilation is poor and the virus gets the opportunity to spread like wildfire.—Natasha Hinde
The influx of students had quickly turned Minot State University into a superspreader site: within two weeks, more than ten per cent of the coronavirus tests that students received were coming back positive.—Atul Gawande
Cite this Entry
“Super-spreader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/super-spreader. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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