health
Americannoun
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the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor.
good health;
poor health.
-
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.
They added that guava juice is already widely accepted culturally across many parts of Asia and is relatively inexpensive, making it a potentially sustainable public health tool.
From Science Daily • May 27, 2026
In Waldorf’s medical record, the Kansas doctors stated the induction was performed “with the intent to preserve the life and health of the mother.”
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Moscatelli wants the city and state governments to spend more, and to establish a wildlife care center for the lagoon capybaras’ health, monitoring, and population control.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
It follows a remarkable few days of searing heat that saw six amber heat health alerts issued across south-west England, the West Midlands, East Midlands, east of England, south east and London regions.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
She was always worrying about my health and my schooling, and everything else you could think of.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
