health
Americannoun
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the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor.
good health;
poor health.
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soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment.
to have one's health;
to lose one's health.
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a polite or complimentary wish for a person's health, happiness, etc., especially as a toast.
We drank a health to our guest of honor.
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vigor; vitality.
economic health.
noun
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the state of being bodily and mentally vigorous and free from disease
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the general condition of body and mind
in poor health
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the condition of any unit, society, etc
the economic health of a nation
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a toast to a person, wishing him or her good health, happiness, etc
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(modifier) of or relating to food or other goods reputed to be beneficial to the health
health food
a health store
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(modifier) of or relating to health, esp to the administration of health
a health committee
health resort
health service
interjection
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of health
First recorded before 1000; Middle English helthe, Old English hǣlth; see hale 1, whole, -th 1
Explanation
Your health is the condition of your body. If you barely get any sleep and only eat frozen pizza and jellybeans, you probably have poor health. Health comes from the old English word for "whole," and you can think of it as the state of your whole being — both body and mind. We use health to talk about bodies and people, but also to talk about whole systems. If you lost your job, you might be worried about the health of your finances. If a bad manager provokes employees to be unproductive, investors might be worried about the health of a business.
Vocabulary lists containing health
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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Supreme Court healthcare ruling
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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.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.9 million new cases were reported globally in 2022, resulting in nearly 900,000 deaths.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2026
More than 160 patients with advanced heart conditions are to be recalled by the Belfast Health Trust after a review found they may have undergone a procedure unnecessarily.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has, historically, been very public about his concerns about what is plaguing the nation’s well-being.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
Health authorities have repeatedly emphasised that the broader risk to public health from the outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus -- the only one known to spread between people -- is low.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
"No wonder it had a nasty ratty taste. If you're not careful, the Health people will be ordering the entire hotel to be closed before everyone gets typhoid fever."
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
