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incubation period
noun
: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the illness or disease it causes
Examples of incubation period in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Measles also has a long incubation period, which means that someone could have measles and not know it for as long as two or three weeks.
—Katia Hetter, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Kitchen workers who refused and had not previously been vaccinated were reassigned until the end of the incubation period.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
The incubation period for measles is very long, Murray adds.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 23 Jan. 2024
That can be a lengthy break from in-person learning because measles has a long incubation period — up to 21 days — and can be transmitted in the four days before an infected person starts to feel ill.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024
After an incubation period of two to eight days, patients develop fever, headache and a bubo.
—Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
All classic prison diseases have long incubation periods that last decades—sometimes up to a half century.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 1 Feb. 2024
The incubation period for salmonella, Wooten noted, is 12 to 72 hours, meaning that anyone who swallowed tainted flood water on Monday or Tuesday should have started to show symptoms already.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024
All prison diseases have long incubation periods that last decades—sometimes upwards of a half a century.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incubation period.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1879, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of incubation period was
in 1879
Dictionary Entries Near incubation period
Cite this Entry
“Incubation period.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incubation%20period. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
incubation period
noun1
: the period of brooding or incubating required to bring an egg to hatching
2
: the period between infection with a germ and the appearance of the disease or illness it causes
Medical Definition
incubation period
noun
: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the disease it causes
Mono, which has an incubation period of 30 to 50 days, characteristically announces itself with headaches, fever, sore throat, tonsillitis, and extreme fatigue.—Your Health & Fitness
Quarantines worked to control the SARS epidemic because SARS is much less contagious than flu and has a longer incubation period.—Christine Gorman, Time
More from Merriam-Webster on incubation period
Britannica English: Translation of incubation period for Arabic Speakers
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