death rate
noun
Note: A crude death rate does not distinguish between specific causes of death or groups of individuals and measures the incidence of all deaths in a population during a given time period. More specific death rates are based on narrower categories of individuals or causes of death.
Brendan BorrellExamples of death rate in a Sentence
Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
Example factors included the cost of a medical visit, premature death rates, access to mental health counselors, fruit and vegetable consumption, fitness and instruction centers per capita, physically active adults, parkland and quality of parks.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
In Florida, innovative mRNA COVID vaccines helped curb the death rate that had been climbing in late 2020, particularly among the elderly.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
During Sheriff Marian Brown’s first eight years in office, 71 incarcerated people have died — about a 50% higher death rate than the same period before her administration, state and county data show.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for death rate
Cite this Entry
“Death rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20rate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
death rate
nounNote: A crude death rate does not distinguish between specific causes of death or groups of individuals and measures the incidence of all deaths in a population during a given time period. More specific death rates are based on narrower categories of individuals or causes of death.
Harvard Health LetterBrendan Borrell, Scientific American
