Synonyms

spotted fever

American

noun

Pathology.

any of several fevers characterized by spots on the skin, especially as in cerebrospinal meningitis or typhus fever.
tick fever.

spotted fever British

noun

any of various severe febrile diseases characterized by small irregular spots on the skin, as in Rocky Mountain spotted fever or tick fever

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spotted fever

First recorded in 1640–50

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.

See Examples For:

spotted fever

Rickettsia lanei comes from the spotted fever group Rickettsia, bacteria transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected tick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

In the case of tick-borne diseases, for example, Beard noted that the geographic ranges have already expanded in recent years for ticks that spread Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday the deaths of three people in California from Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 9, 2023

Fortunately, it’s a milder form than Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a sometimes fatal tick-borne illness.

From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

Then there were all the diseases one is vulnerable to in the woods—giardiasis, eastern equine encephalitis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, schistosomiasis, brucellosis, and shigellosis, to offer but a sampling.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023