health
Americannoun
-
health
plural
-
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.
-
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
-
the state of being bodily and mentally vigorous and free from disease
-
the general condition of body and mind
in poor health
-
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
-
(modifier) of or relating to food or other goods reputed to be beneficial to the health
health food
a health store
-
(modifier) of or relating to health, esp to the administration of health
a health committee
health resort
health service
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
When a child is adopted in the UK, their NHS number - or equivalent health service identifier - is changed to protect their anonymity.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Willmott suggests Boots has an "edge" over its rivals on the health side, given its reputation as an expert.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
This is a big vulnerability for Mr. Jackson, since 47.5% of Mainers had employer health coverage in 2024, per the Kaiser Family Foundation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
During droughts, algae blooms have turned waterways bright green, posing health threats for people and animals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I think it’s also to celebrate her getting better, but she doesn’t want it to be about that, so no one is supposed to mention her health.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
