1
2
: a harmful development (as in a social institution)
sees the city's crime as a disease
3
obsolete
: trouble
Synonyms
Examples of disease in a Sentence
He suffers from a rare genetic disease.
a disease of the mind
Thousands die of heart disease each year.
They are working to stop the spread of disease in rural areas.
The article cites intolerance as one of the most dangerous of society's diseases.
He sees crime as a disease that too often plagues the poor and disadvantaged.
Recent Examples on the Web
But though ruthlessly efficient at killing off some frog species, the fungus is highly vulnerable to heat: Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (about 85 degrees Fahrenheit) slow disease progression.
—
Martin J. Kernan, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2024
The agency’s $48 billion budget funds medical research on cancers, vaccines and other diseases through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation.
—Aleccia Washington, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024
Coral reefs around the world are in big trouble because of warming oceans, habitat degradation, pollution, and diseases.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
One person died in Colorado and four people have developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication.
—Jonel Aleccia, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disease 
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Martin J. Kernan, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2024
The agency’s $48 billion budget funds medical research on cancers, vaccines and other diseases through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation.
—Aleccia Washington, Twin Cities, 15 Nov. 2024
Coral reefs around the world are in big trouble because of warming oceans, habitat degradation, pollution, and diseases.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
One person died in Colorado and four people have developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication.
—Jonel Aleccia, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disease
Dictionary Entries Near disease
Cite this Entry
“Disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disease. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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Medical Definition
disease
noun
dis·ease
diz-ˈēz 
: an impairment of the normal state of the living animal or plant body or one of its parts that interrupts or modifies the performance of the vital functions, is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms, and is a response to environmental factors (as malnutrition, industrial hazards, or climate), to specific infective agents (as worms, bacteria, or viruses), to inherent defects of the organism (as genetic anomalies), or to combinations of these factors : sickness, illness
called also morbus
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