std

1 of 3

abbreviation (1)

standard
: any of various diseases or infections that can be transmitted by direct sexual contact including some (such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and genital herpes) chiefly spread by sexual means and others (such as hepatitis B and AIDS) often contracted by nonsexual means

STD

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

doctor of sacred theology

Examples of std in a Sentence

Noun a discussion of AIDS and other STDs
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In a November survey by the National Coalition of STD Directors, 68% of health departments that responded said the drug shortage will cause syphilis rates in their area to increase, further crushing the nation’s most disadvantaged populations. Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 4 Mar. 2024 The National Coalition of STD Directors applauded the FDA’s action. Ike Swetlitz, Fortune Well, 10 Jan. 2024 Instead, the state’s STD prevention budget went down by more than 75%, reducing its capacity to respond to syphilis, according to Dawn Cribb at the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Kenya Hunter, Fortune Well, 28 Oct. 2023 That could change as more research is done, said Mermin, who oversees the CDC’s STD efforts. Mike Stobbe, Fortune Well, 2 Oct. 2023 Mario Pérez, director of its division of HIV and STD programs, said that to make a dent in the STD crisis, the department wants most community groups to screen 10,000 to 20,000 people each annually. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 In the five or six years she’s been working in an STD clinic, Dowler has seen the average age of her patients go from teens and 20s to 40s. Laurie Yarnell, Good Housekeeping, 16 June 2023 Mena, of the CDC, said there is no sign the STD trend is slowing. Mike Stobbe, ajc, 11 Apr. 2023 David Harvey, the executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said that without a concerted effort, the rise will continue. Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 11 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

sexually transmitted disease

Abbreviation (2)

New Latin sacrae theologiae doctor

First Known Use

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of std was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near std

Cite this Entry

“Std.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/std. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

STD

noun
ˌes-ˌtē-ˈdē
: any of various diseases (as syphilis and gonorrhea) that are usually transmitted by direct sexual contact and that include some (as hepatitis and AIDS) that may be contracted by other than sexual means

Medical Definition

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!