incubation period

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. the period between infection and the appearance of signs of a disease.

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incubation period British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: incubation.  med the time between exposure to an infectious disease and the appearance of the first signs or symptoms

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incubation period Cultural  

1. The amount of time it takes for symptoms of a disease to appear after an individual is infected (see infection) with the pathogen that causes the disease.

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Etymology

Origin of incubation period

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The Andes virus has a long incubation period, and the World Health Organization said there may be more infections “in the coming weeks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

The incubation period can last up to 21 days.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

With hantavirus, the incubation period can take up to six weeks, so people must be isolated for a really long time to ensure they won’t get sick and start infecting others.

From Slate • May 16, 2026

“Of course, the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

As to whether their blood would glow tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, only time would tell, but he and Geisbert were climbing out of the incubation period.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston