: a suddenly formed elevation of the skin surface : welt
especially : a flat burning or itching eminence on the skin

Examples of wheal 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.
To pediatricians like Eby, the outbreaks meant every typically innocuous symptom in clinic — every cough or sniffle, every hive or wheal or welt — put him and his staff on high alert. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025 Redness, swelling and intensely itchy wheals – those are the hallmark symptoms of urticaria, commonly known as hives. New Atlas, 17 July 2025 Symptoms of allergic reactions include redness, hives, wheals (a red or swollen elevation on the surface of skin that may be itchy), and shortness of breath. Laura Schober, Health, 9 July 2025 You are considered positive if a wheal appears (bump similar to a mosquito bite).16 Blood tests involve providing a blood sample and measuring the amount of IgE antibody to a specific food.16 An oral food challenge may be used to confirm skin or blood test results. Corinne Savides Happel, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2025 Why does a wheal develop after the monkeypox vaccine? Maggie O'Neill, SELF, 26 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

alteration of wale entry 1

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wheal was in 1808

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wheal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheal. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.

Medical Definition

: a suddenly formed elevation of the skin surface: as
a
: welt
especially : a flat burning or itching eminence on the skin
b
: the transient lump occurring at the site of injection of a solution before the solution is normally dispersed

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