1
2
: any of several virus diseases marked especially by respiratory or intestinal symptoms
flu-like adjective

Examples of flu in a Sentence

He came down with a bad bout of the flu.
Recent Examples on the Web This aligns with the guidance for other respiratory illnesses, including flu and RSV. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024 Unrelated to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus, norovirus cases rise annually in the U.S. from November to April, and years with new strains—like the novel GII.4 variant found on at least 3 continents in the last several years—can cause a spike in illness cases as high as 50%. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Share [Findings] The presence of a professional sports team increases a city’s seasonal flu deaths. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 Another 35 penguins there were found dead or displaying symptoms of the flu. Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 What other illnesses are common? Martin said nationally, rates of COVID-19, Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, and RSV are relatively high. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 For now, economists believe this latest avian flu won’t be as severe as the one in 2022 that devastated flocks and sent egg prices sky-high (at one point rising 70% year over year). Alicia Wallace, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 Hotez isn’t a fan of ending isolation for people who don’t have symptoms, particularly because Covid-19 is generally more severe than the flu and because asymptomatic Covid-19 cases are more common. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024 Those two owls, a female from the Living Coast Discovery Center and male from the Safari Park, had both been hatched in captivity as the local conservation breeding program was halted due to an outbreak of a highly contagious strain of avian flu. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flu.' 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

by shortening

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flu was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near flu

Cite this Entry

“Flu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flu. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flu

noun
1
2
: any of several virus diseases that are something like a cold
flu-like
ˈflü-ˌlīk
adjective

Medical Definition

flu

noun
1
2
: any of several chiefly viral illnesses marked especially by respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms see intestinal flu
flu-like adjective
also flulike
flu-like symptoms

More from Merriam-Webster on flu

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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