whooping cough

American

[hoo-ping, hoop-ing] / ˈhu pɪŋ, ˈhʊp ɪŋ /

noun

Pathology.

an infectious disease of the respiratory mucous membrane, caused by Bordetella pertussis, characterized by a series of short, convulsive coughs followed by a deep inspiration accompanied by a whooping sound.

whooping cough British

/ ˈhuːpɪŋ /

noun

Technical name: pertussis. an acute infectious disease characterized by coughing spasms that end with a shrill crowing sound on inspiration: caused by infection with the bacillus Bordetella pertussis

"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

whooping cough Scientific

/ ho̅o̅′pĭng,hp′ĭng,wo̅o̅′pĭng,wp′ĭng /

An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bordatella pertussis, seen most commonly in children and characterized by coughing spasms often ending in loud gasps. Vaccinations usually given during infancy confer immunity to the disease.
Also called pertussis

whooping cough Cultural

An acute and infectious disease occurring mainly in children and characterized by violent coughing. Caused by a kind of bacteria, whooping cough has largely been eradicated in the United States through a program of vaccination, which is begun when infants are just three months old.

Etymology

Origin of whooping cough

First recorded in 1730–40

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.

The flu and whooping cough vaccines are also recommended during pregnancy.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

In the 1780s Thomas Jefferson was serving as a diplomat in France when the Marquis de Lafayette brought him a message of unwelcome news from Virginia: His young daughter Lucy had died of whooping cough.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Other vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough also are on the rise.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

TAPPER: Hepatitis A, whooping cough, and chickenpox cases are rising in Florida.

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2025

The principal recorded killers were smallpox, influenza, measles, typhoid, typhus, chicken pox, whooping cough, tuberculosis, and syphilis.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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