A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection.
...the rapid spread of disease in the area.
...illnesses such as heart disease.
Doctors believe they have cured him of the disease.
Synonyms: illness, condition, complaint, upset More Synonyms of disease
2. countable noun [with supplement]
You can refer to a bad attitude or habit, usually one that a group of people have, as a disease.
[literary]
Synonyms: evil, disorder, plague [informal], curse More Synonyms of disease
disease in British English
(dɪˈziːz)
noun
1.
any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc, producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general
2.
a corresponding condition in plants
3.
any situation or condition likened to this
the disease of materialism
▶ Related adjective: pathological
Word origin
C14: from Old French desaise; see dis-1, ease
disease in American English
(dɪˈziz) (verb-eased, -easing)
noun
1.
a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment
2.
any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc
3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society
His fascination with executions is a disease
4.
decomposition of a material under special circumstances
tin disease
transitive verb
5.
to affect with disease; make ill
Derived forms
diseasedly
adverb
diseasedness
noun
Word origin
[1300–50; ME disese ‹ AF dese(a)se, disaise; see dis-1, ease]
COBUILD Collocations
disease
battle the disease
beat the disease
brain disease
carry disease
catch the disease
cause disease
combat disease
contagious disease
cure diseases
deadly disease
detect disease
diagnose disease
fatal disease
fight disease
fungal disease
genetic disease
incurable disease
inherited disease
killer disease
liver disease
neurological disease
rare disease
tackle disease
terminal disease
tropical disease
Examples of 'disease' in a sentence
disease
The discovery offers hope for a blood test to detect heart and brain diseases before symptoms appear.
The Sun (2016)
It helps combat heart disease and can extend your life by up to six years.
The Sun (2016)
High cholesterol can lead to heart disease.
The Sun (2017)
Figures released this week showed that it had overtaken heart disease.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A narrowed artery can be evidence of possible coronary disease.
The Sun (2017)
It is not a sign of any disease - some people simply seem to have a very low tolerance.
The Sun (2016)
Patients with lung or heart disease must be able to complete one of these simple tests.
The Sun (2012)
In what ways does globalization foster the spread of illness and disease?
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
Urgent surveillance is under way to check the spread of the disease to other areas.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They also help the body fight infection and disease by combating the effects of the bad bacteria.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Heart attacks resulting from coronary artery disease are the commonest cause of fatality in many strenuous sports.
Shreeve, Dr Caroline M Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Easy Stages (1989)
They need not kill the patient to cure a specific disease or remove a specific constraint.
Kantrow, Alan M. The Constraints of Corporate Tradition (1987)
Sufferers of motor neurone disease normally live for just two to five years after diagnosis.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These diseases usually move quickly through a population.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
This doctrine holds that each disease has one specific cause.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
Can you give examples of such diseases?
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
Why is it often difficult to prove that a disease or condition resulted from workplace exposure?
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
Previous studies have linked short stature to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Hybrid embryo research can offer hope for many who may be spared from serious illnesses and disease.
The Sun (2008)
Cancer might be called the disease of nice people.
Siegel, Bernie S. (MD) Love, Medicine and Miracles (1990)
It also set out plans to cause many casualties by releasing the disease in crowded areas.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is not weakened and would be able to carry on fighting off infection and disease.
The Sun (2015)
Does this patient have coronary artery disease?
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
She had helped to nurse one of her oldest friends while he died from motor neurone disease.
Claudia Hammond EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER: A Journey Through the Science of Feelings (2005)
The disease is usually more serious in adults.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Researchers could not conclude whether one disease caused the other.
The Sun (2015)
In the end, the leading causes of death for this group are heart disease and cancer.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
This earlier notion that deficiency of a vitamin would cause a specific disease is a distortion of our present understanding of how vitamins work.
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
Doctors have long considered cancer to be a group of diseases, not a single condition like measles or flu.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
disease
British English: disease /dɪˈziːz/ NOUN
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants.
...the spread of the disease in the area.
American English: disease
Arabic: مَرَض
Brazilian Portuguese: doença
Chinese: 疾病
Croatian: bolest
Czech: nemoc
Danish: sygdom
Dutch: ziekte
European Spanish: enfermedad
Finnish: sairaus tauti
French: maladie
German: Krankheit
Greek: ασθένεια
Italian: malattia
Japanese: 病気
Korean: 병
Norwegian: sykdom
Polish: choroba
European Portuguese: doença
Romanian: boală
Russian: болезнь
Latin American Spanish: enfermedad
Swedish: sjukdom
Thai: โรค
Turkish: hastalık
Ukrainian: хвороба
Vietnamese: bệnh
All related terms of 'disease'
gum disease
gingivitis or periodontitis
sod disease
a disease of poultry characterized by blisters and scabs on the feet and legs
black disease
an infectious necrotic hepatitis in sheep and occasionally cattle caused by toxins produced by infection with species of Clostridial . Secondary to liver fluke infestation, the disease is characterized by sudden death. So-called because of the black discolouration of subcutaneous tissues due to congestion and haemorrhage seen at post-mortem
blue disease
a bluish-purple discoloration of skin and mucous membranes usually resulting from a deficiency of oxygen in the blood
borna disease
viral disease found in mammals , esp horses
brain disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
carry disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
cause disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
Dutch disease
the deindustrialization of an economy as a result of the discovery of a natural resource , as that which occurred in Holland with the exploitation of North Sea gas, which raised the value of the Dutch currency , making its exports uncompetitive and causing its industry to decline
fatal disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection.
fifth disease
a mild infectious disease of childhood , caused by a virus , characterized by fever and a red rash spreading from the cheeks to the limbs and trunk
fight disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
heart disease
disease affecting the heart
liver disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
loco disease
a disease of cattle , sheep , and horses characterized by paralysis and faulty vision , caused by ingestion of locoweed
Lyme disease
a disease of domestic animals and humans, caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burghdorferi and transmitted by ticks , and variously affecting the joints , heart , and brain
milky disease
any of several bacterial diseases of the larvae of scarab beetles , as a disease of Japanese beetle grubs , characterized by the milky-white appearance of the infected larvae
rare disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
skin disease
a condition or disease affecting the skin
Bang's disease
a type of infectious brucellosis affecting cattle , caused by a bacterium ( Brucella abortus ) and often resulting in abortion
Batten disease
a rare hereditary disease in which lipids accumulate in the nervous system, leading to mental deterioration, loss of mobility , and blindness that start in early childhood
border disease
a congenital infectious disease of sheep and goats caused by a Togavirus and characterized by abortion , infertility, and deformity of lambs
Brill's disease
a form of epidemic typhus fever in which the disease recurs years after the original infection
British disease
→ the British disease
caisson disease
→ decompression sickness
celiac disease
a chronic nutritional disorder , usually of young children, caused by faulty absorption of gluten in the intestines and characterized by diarrhea and malnutrition
Chagas' disease
a form of trypanosomiasis found in South America, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, characterized by fever and, often, inflammation of the heart muscles
coeliac disease
a chronic intestinal disorder caused by sensitivity to the protein gliadin contained in the gluten of cereals , characterized by distention of the abdomen and frothy and pale foul-smelling stools
combat disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
Crohn's disease
inflammation, thickening , and ulceration of any of various parts of the intestine , esp the ileum
deadly disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
detect disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
fungal disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
genetic disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
Graves' disease
→ exophthalmic goiter
Johne's disease
an infectious disease of ruminants characterized by chronic inflammation of the bowel and caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis , a bacterium that can be transmitted in milk
kidney disease
disease of the kidneys
killer disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
Marburg disease
a severe , sometimes fatal , viral disease of the green monkey , which may be transmitted to humans. Symptoms include fever , vomiting , and internal bleeding
mosaic disease
a serious viral disease of plants, esp tobacco , maize , and sugar cane , in which the leaves become mottled by discoloration
organic disease
any disease in which there is a physical change in the structure of an organ or part
Paget's disease
a chronic disease of the bones characterized by inflammation and deformation
Pick's disease
a condition characterized by progressive deterioration of the brain with atrophy of the cerebral cortex , esp. the frontal lobes , and evidenced in loss of memory and emotional instability
Pott's disease
a disease of the spine , usually caused by tubercular infection and characterized by weakening and gradual disintegration of the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs
social disease
a sexually transmitted disease
tackle disease
A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection .
tunnel disease
→ decompression sickness
Weil's disease
any of several infectious diseases caused by spirochaete bacteria of the genus Leptospira, transmitted to humans by animals and characterized by jaundice , meningitis , and kidney failure
yuppie disease
any of a number of debilitating long-lasting viral disorders associated with stress, such as chronic fatigue syndrome , whose symptoms include muscle weakness , chronic tiredness, and depression
Addison's disease
a disease characterized by deep bronzing of the skin, anaemia , and extreme weakness , caused by underactivity of the adrenal glands
Chinese translation of 'disease'
disease
(dɪˈziːz)
n
(c/u) (= illness) 病 (bìng) (场(場), chǎng)
(c) (liter, = affliction) 弊病 (bìbìng) (个(個), gè)
All related terms of 'disease'
heart disease
心脏(臟)病 xīnzàngbìng
Alzheimer's (disease)
阿尔(爾)茨海默(病) Ā'ěrcíhǎimò (bìng)
mad cow disease
( BSE ) 疯(瘋)牛病 fēngniúbìng
the disease is common in children
这(這)种(種)病在儿(兒)童中是常见(見)的 zhè zhǒng bìng zài értóng zhōng shì chángjiàn de