: an infectious respiratory disease especially of children caused by a bacterium (Bordetella pertussis) and marked by a convulsive spasmodic cough sometimes followed by a crowing intake of breath
called also pertussis
Examples of whooping cough in a Sentence
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These include pertussis – also known as whooping cough – which has sickened more than 10,000 Americans and killed five children this year, as well as a smoldering outbreak of measles that has killed three people in the US and threatens to end the country’s elimination status.
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Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89% of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 July 2025
The infectious disease, also known as whooping cough, is on the rise in the U.S.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
The state has been grappling with a massive rise in pertussis (whooping cough).
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
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Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89% of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 July 2025
The infectious disease, also known as whooping cough, is on the rise in the U.S.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
The state has been grappling with a massive rise in pertussis (whooping cough).
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whooping cough
Cite this Entry
“Whooping cough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whooping%20cough. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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