sudden infant death syndrome

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. death from the sudden cessation of breathing (apnea) of a seemingly healthy infant, almost always during sleep, sometimes traceable to a chronic oxygen deficiency. SIDS

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sudden infant death syndrome British  

noun

1.  SIDS.  a technical term for cot death

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sudden infant death syndrome Scientific  

/ sŭd′n /

1. A fatal condition that affects sleeping infants that are less than one year old and appear to be healthy. It is characterized by a sudden cessation of breathing and is thought to be caused by a defect in the central nervous system.

2. Also called crib death SIDS

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sudden infant death syndrome Cultural  

1. Also called crib death, the deaths of sleeping infants less than a year old for unexplained reasons.

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Etymology

Origin of sudden infant death syndrome

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

One of their children, Scott, died at the age of two months from sudden infant death syndrome, CBS reports, and James, died of cancer in 2020.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025

Instead, he deferred to an emergency room doctor’s diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024

Decades ago, Bergman made waves in Olympia and Washington, D.C., advocating for research into sudden infant death syndrome, then also called “crib death.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2023

The high incidence of low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome in such communities was a focus of the program.

From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2023

Paranoia, when you’re a parent, is everywhere, adds Wu, recalling how she Googled about sleep training when she had her baby — and got a hit about sudden infant death syndrome.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2022