fever

1 of 2

noun

fe·​ver ˈfē-vər How to pronounce fever (audio)
1
a
: a rise of body temperature above the normal
b
: any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom
2
a
: a state of heightened or intense emotion or activity
b
: a contagious usually transient enthusiasm : craze

fever

2 of 2

verb

fevered; fevering ˈfē-vriŋ How to pronounce fever (audio)
ˈfe-vər-iŋ

transitive verb

: to throw into a fever : agitate

intransitive verb

: to contract or be in a fever : become feverish

Examples of fever in a Sentence

Noun The symptoms of the disease include headache and fever. We waited in a fever of anticipation. He had us all in a fever with worry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Measles is an airborne disease characterized by a high fever, a cough and a rash. Cheryl Vari, The Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2024 The symptoms of measles generally appear about seven to 21 days after exposure and include a high fever, cough, runny nose, blotchy rash, feeling run-down or achy and red, watery eyes. The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 Symptoms of plague in humans The New Mexico Department of Health says symptoms of plague in humans include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache and weakness. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Measles often begins with a mild to moderate fever, along with a cough, runny nose, and red/watery eyes, health officials detailed. Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Symptoms of parrot fever include fever and chills, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough, according to the CDC. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 The results are wondrous: a delightfully discordant fever dream that covers high fashion nappies, boots inspired by André Courrèges, and a puff-sleeve wedding dress suggesting both restriction and a strange kind of freedom. Liam Hess, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 The initial symptoms of measles are similar to those of many other common viral illnesses in the U.S.: fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 When that rash appears, the infected person's fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, per the CDC. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Visits to fever clinics fell 96.2%, from a peak of 2.867 million on Dec. 22 to 110,000 on Jan. 23. Reuters, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2023 Despite ongoing health reforms, access to everything from ventilators to fever medicine remains scant for the 500 million people who live in the countryside. Olivia Wang, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2023 Adverse reactions can include pain and swelling in the injection site, fatigue, crankiness, sleepiness, headache, muscle aches and sometimes fever. Katia Hetter, CNN, 14 Dec. 2022 The Frisian longing for the Eflstdentocht is so visceral there is a name for it: elfstedenkoorts, or eleven cities fever. Raphael Kadushin, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Mar. 2022 Patients complained of pneumonia-like symptoms, shortness of breath, cough and chest pain, and also fever, stomach pain and diarrhea. Troy Farah, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021 The only treatment available for sick children is at-home supportive care, which includes keeping them hydrated and sometimes fever medication. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2022 Enterovirus D68 causes symptoms that mirror those of common colds, with cough, shortness of breath, wheezing and sometimes fever. Carma Hassan, CNN, 27 Sep. 2022 In the case of a severe asthma attack, seizure or fever in an infant, staff recommend going to the hospital’s emergency department. Amanda Zhou, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English fēfer, from Latin febris

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of fever was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fever

Cite this Entry

“Fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fever. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fever

noun
fe·​ver
ˈfē-vər
1
a
: a rise of body temperature above the normal
b
: a disease of which fever is an important symptom
2
: a state of excited emotion or activity

Medical Definition

fever

1 of 2 noun
fe·​ver ˈfē-vər How to pronounce fever (audio)
1
: a rise of body temperature above the normal whether a natural response (as to infection) or artificially induced for therapeutic reasons
2
: an abnormal bodily state characterized by increased production of heat, accelerated heart action and pulse, and systemic debility with weakness, loss of appetite, and thirst
3
: any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom

fever

2 of 2 verb
fevered; fevering ˈfēv-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce fever (audio)

transitive verb

: to affect with fever
the malarial plasmodia fevered him

intransitive verb

: to contract or be in a fever : be or become feverish
the malaria victim fevered intermittently

More from Merriam-Webster on fever

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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