diphtheria
noun
diph·the·ria
dif-ˈthir-ē-ə 
nonstandard
dip-
: an acute febrile contagious disease typically marked by the formation of a false membrane especially in the throat and caused by a gram-positive bacterium (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) that produces a toxin causing inflammation of the heart and nervous system
Examples of diphtheria in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That number is often measured as children who are missing their first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine.
—
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 24 June 2025
Immune amnesia makes the current outbreak all the more troubling, as the rise in measles cases may lead to a spike of other dangerous infections such as flu, diphtheria, and tuberculosis.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 18 Mar. 2025
In their study, Kiang, Lo and colleagues ran large-scale simulations to explore how measles and three other infectious diseases—diphtheria, polio and rubella—could spread across the U.S. under various levels of childhood vaccination.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
This included 40 million cases of diphtheria and 35 million cases of measles.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
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Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 24 June 2025
Immune amnesia makes the current outbreak all the more troubling, as the rise in measles cases may lead to a spike of other dangerous infections such as flu, diphtheria, and tuberculosis.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 18 Mar. 2025
In their study, Kiang, Lo and colleagues ran large-scale simulations to explore how measles and three other infectious diseases—diphtheria, polio and rubella—could spread across the U.S. under various levels of childhood vaccination.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
This included 40 million cases of diphtheria and 35 million cases of measles.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for diphtheria
Cite this Entry
“Diphtheria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diphtheria. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
diphtheria
noun
diph·the·ria
dif-ˈthir-ē-ə
dip-
dip-
: a contagious bacterial disease with fever in which the air passages become coated with a membranous layer that often obstructs breathing
Medical Definition
diphtheria
noun
diph·the·ria
dif-ˈthir-ē-ə
dip-
dip-
: an acute febrile contagious disease typically marked by the formation of a false membrane especially in the throat and caused by a bacterium of the genus Corynebacterium (C. diphtheriae) which produces a toxin causing inflammation of the heart and nervous system
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