infectious disease

American  

[in-fek-shuhs di-zeez] / ɪnˈfɛk ʃəs dɪˈziz /

noun

1. a disease caused by a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism, and often spreading by contact between individuals or by a vector such as an insect: ID

   Chicken pox and cholera are infectious diseases.

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infectious disease Scientific  

1. A disease caused by a microorganism or other agent, such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus, that enters the body of an organism.

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Etymology

Origin of infectious disease

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

infectious disease

New World screwworm does not spread from one person to another the way an infectious disease such as COVID-19 does.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

To quote infectious disease expert Jake Scott of Stanford Medicine, “every vaccine given at a baby’s two-month visit adds up to about half a teaspoon. A 20-ounce soda bottle is more than 200 times that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The initial release Monday included a very small sample size—fewer than a dozen texts—and marked the latest public scrutiny of Fauci’s tenure as the nation’s top infectious disease expert during the Covid pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

UK holidaymakers are being warned about a nasty infectious disease called cyclosporiasis that can cause explosive diarrhoea, after a sharp rise in cases.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

It seems to have spread as a kind of infectious disease exacerbated by the strains of ambition, affluence, family disintegration, and loneliness.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden