valley fever

noun

: coccidioidomycosis

Examples of valley fever in a Sentence

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.
If people inhale spores, they can be infected with valley fever. — Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2025 Projections show valley fever has spread well beyond the Southwest because of prolonged drought and rising temperatures. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025 At the other water extreme, drought in the desert Southwest increases the risk of coccidioidomycosis, a fungal infection known as valley fever. — Vijay Limaye, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026 In many cases, valley fever symptoms can mirror the flu or COVID, leading doctors to misdiagnose patients, and to not provide proper treatment. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for valley fever

Word History

Etymology

from its prevalence in the San Joaquin valley of California

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of valley fever was in 1938

Rhymes for valley fever

See All Rhymes for valley fever

Browse Nearby Words

valley breeze
valley fever
valley flat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Valley fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valley%20fever. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on valley fever

Nglish: Translation of valley fever for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All