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
fevered; fevering
ˈfē-vriŋ 
ˈfe-vər-iŋ
: to throw into a fever : agitate
: to contract or be in a fever : become feverish
Synonyms
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
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Billie Holiday made her debut on a Harlem nightclub stage in 1931, while Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong were blending ragtime and blues into the fever dream through which jazz music emerged.
—Debra Kamin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Measles symptoms usually start with a high fever, cough, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and runny nose.
—Joe Murphy, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Measles usually begins when the infected develops a fever, cough, runny nose and pink eye for about two to four days before rash onset, according to the CDC.
—Jonathan Limehouse, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
Symptoms include fever, nosebleeds and labored breathing.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
One prominent misdiagnosis occurred in 2004, when Dr. Claudia Lacson — pregnant with her first child — fell into a coma in Georgia after complaining of severe headaches and a persistent fever.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois Photo: Getty Images With an astounding 27 gardens clustered throughout 385 acres, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a fever dream of technicolor blooms and incredible plants.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Healthy people who are infected with the organism may experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
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
Noun
Symptoms of meningococcal bloodstream infections include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, diarrhea and in later stages, a dark purple rash.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Billie Holiday made her debut on a Harlem nightclub stage in 1931, while Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong were blending ragtime and blues into the fever dream through which jazz music emerged.
—Debra Kamin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Measles symptoms usually start with a high fever, cough, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and runny nose.
—Joe Murphy, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Measles usually begins when the infected develops a fever, cough, runny nose and pink eye for about two to four days before rash onset, according to the CDC.
—Jonathan Limehouse, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
Symptoms include fever, nosebleeds and labored breathing.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
One prominent misdiagnosis occurred in 2004, when Dr. Claudia Lacson — pregnant with her first child — fell into a coma in Georgia after complaining of severe headaches and a persistent fever.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois Photo: Getty Images With an astounding 27 gardens clustered throughout 385 acres, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a fever dream of technicolor blooms and incredible plants.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Healthy people who are infected with the organism may experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 19 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
Phrases Containing fever
Articles Related to fever
Dictionary Entries Near fever
Cite this Entry
“Fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fever. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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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
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
: to affect with fever
the malarial plasmodia fevered him
: to contract or be in a fever : be or become feverish
the malaria victim fevered intermittently
More from Merriam-Webster on fever
Nglish: Translation of fever for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fever for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fever
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