public health

noun

: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

Examples of public health in a Sentence

a disease that poses a serious threat to public health She got her degree in public health. Public health officials warned of an influenza outbreak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Individual containers of food were not marked to indicate the food items to be discarded under time as public health control. — Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026 Until the pandemic ended, public health concerns would understandably keep people away from crowded venues and non-essential travel. — Davis Noell, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026 Census data informs every aspect of our nation’s public health system. — Julie Morita, Time, 25 Oct. 2026 Does the market for longevity drugs pose similar risks for public health? — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public health

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public health was in 1617

Rhymes for public health

See All Rhymes for public health

Browse Nearby Words

public funds
public health
public highway
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Cite this Entry

“Public health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20health. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Medical Definition

public health

noun
pub·​lic health ˌpəb-lik- How to pronounce public health (audio)
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science

More from Merriam-Webster on public health

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public health

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