septic shock
noun
: a severe form of sepsis that is associated with profound, life-threatening circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities, that is marked especially by increased capillary permeability and vasodilation resulting in persistent, dangerously low blood pressure and reduced blood flow despite fluid administration, and that leads to multiple organ failure
By many estimates, sepsis—and its most severe form, septic shock—is the leading cause of death for intensive care patients in the U.S. and the 10th most common cause of death for everyone else in the country.—
Maryn McKenna
Maryn McKennaExamples of septic shock in a Sentence
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Duong had gone into septic shock Friday, Steele wrote in an earlier update.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
Alex Duong, a Vietnamese comedian who was finally seeing his acting and touring careers take off when he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer early last year, died Saturday morning in Santa Monica after going into septic shock, his wife confirmed on social media.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
The announcement came a day after an infection threw him into septic shock.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Holly Bennett doesn't remember the ambulance that rushed her to a Colorado hospital in septic shock, or the MRI that showed her back was riddled with abscesses, or the emergency surgery that saved her life.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
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Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
Alex Duong, a Vietnamese comedian who was finally seeing his acting and touring careers take off when he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer early last year, died Saturday morning in Santa Monica after going into septic shock, his wife confirmed on social media.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
The announcement came a day after an infection threw him into septic shock.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Holly Bennett doesn't remember the ambulance that rushed her to a Colorado hospital in septic shock, or the MRI that showed her back was riddled with abscesses, or the emergency surgery that saved her life.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for septic shock
Cite this Entry
“Septic shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/septic%20shock. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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