as in virus
sickness that can be passed from one person, plant, or animal to another
The rumors spread like a contagion.
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Recent Examples of contagion
Brian Levin, chair of California’s Commission on Hate, said the attack may reflect a contagion spreading among extremist youths.
—
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Tuesday’s rat-trapping marks the start of fieldwork within Argentina's wider investigation into the origin of the contagion that struck the MV Hondius, killing three people, sickening several others and setting off a global scramble to trace passengers and their close contacts.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The World Health Organization has stressed that the outbreak wasn't a repeat of COVID and that the contagion was very rare.
—CBS News, 18 May 2026
Though public health officials have said the hantavirus outbreak poses a low risk to the public, fear is its own kind of contagion.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagion
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Tuesday’s rat-trapping marks the start of fieldwork within Argentina's wider investigation into the origin of the contagion that struck the MV Hondius, killing three people, sickening several others and setting off a global scramble to trace passengers and their close contacts.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The World Health Organization has stressed that the outbreak wasn't a repeat of COVID and that the contagion was very rare.
—CBS News, 18 May 2026
Though public health officials have said the hantavirus outbreak poses a low risk to the public, fear is its own kind of contagion.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagion
Noun
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Ebola is transmitted from certain animal species like bats and primates, and while the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda is concerning, health officials there are exit-screening people leaving those countries in hopes of keeping the virus contained.—
Alice Park,
Time,
12 June 2026
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Five California residents were exposed to a strain of the hantavirus, known as Andes virus, that spread on a Dutch cruise ship and killed three people.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
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But when human hubris introduces a linguistic plague on the creatures, the colonists must work to finally, truly understand the Indigenous population.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
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The deadly plague is called Pierce’s disease.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Having survived elephant, buffalo and three leopard attacks in his life, along with bouts of tick bite fever, Charles died in 1940, at the age of 66, gored to death by an injured rhino.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Within two weeks of burial, nearly 50 deaths were recorded in the town, and many of those had reported symptoms that could have been from Ebola, including fever, vomiting, and bleeding.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contagion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagion. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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