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

noun
1
: 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

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