dengue

noun

den·​gue ˈdeŋ-gē How to pronounce dengue (audio)
-ˌgā
: an acute infectious disease caused by a flavivirus (species Dengue virus of the genus Flavivirus), transmitted by aedes mosquitoes, and characterized by headache, severe joint pain, and a rash

called also breakbone fever, dengue fever

Examples of dengue in a Sentence

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.
Concerns among health officials have continued the spread of dengue fever as cases have reached unprecedented levels in the Americas. Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024 For example, there are over 100 million cases of dengue each year, with South and Southeast Asia being major hotspots. Philanthropy Asia Alliance Contributor, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024 The Summary Nearly 12 million cases of dengue fever have been recorded in the Americas this year, close to triple last year’s total. Randi Richardson, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2024 Malaria, dengue fever, dysentery, and in a few cases typhus, hit man after man. Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dengue 

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dengue was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near dengue

Cite this Entry

“Dengue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dengue. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

dengue

noun
den·​gue ˈdeŋ-gē How to pronounce dengue (audio) -ˌgā How to pronounce dengue (audio)
: an acute infectious disease that is characterized by headache, severe joint pain, and a rash and that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Flavivirus (species Dengue virus) transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes

called also breakbone fever, dandy fever, dengue fever

More from Merriam-Webster on dengue

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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