congestive heart failure

noun

: heart failure in which the heart is unable to maintain an adequate circulation of blood in the bodily tissues or to pump out the venous blood returned to it by the veins

Examples of congestive heart failure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For The Times) Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and playwright Jules Feiffer died Jan. 17 in Richfield Springs, N.Y. of congestive heart failure. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025

Jules Feiffer Jules Feiffer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and author who famously illustrated Norton Juster’s beloved children’s book The Phantom Tollbooth, died of congestive heart failure on Jan. 17. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025

But such aggressiveness could harm patients who have conditions like congestive heart failure, where fluid overload can worsen their signs and symptoms. —Peter Ubel, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

While Chandler had congestive heart failure, his advanced age was also cited as a cause of death. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

congestive heart failure

noun

con·​ges·​tive heart failure

kən-ˈjes-tiv-

: heart failure in which the heart is unable to keep enough blood circulating in the tissues or is unable to pump out the blood returned to it by the veins

Medical Definition

congestive heart failure

noun

: heart failure in which the heart is unable to maintain adequate circulation of blood in the tissues of the body or to pump out the venous blood returned to it by the venous circulation compare coronary failure