anthrax
noun
an·thrax
| \ ˈan-ˌthraks
\
\
Definition of anthrax
: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (such as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (such as wool), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs
also
: the bacterium causing anthrax
Examples of anthrax in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The program, which has cost taxpayers more than $1.6 billion, was launched two years after letters laced with anthrax spores killed five people and sickened 17 others shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. — Los Angeles Times, "It was sensitive data from a U.S. anti-terror program – and terrorists could have gotten to it for years, records show," 25 Aug. 2019 The following day typical colonies of anthrax microbes appeared. — John Spina, The Denver Post, "Longmont residents sick of nasty, vomiting turkey vultures," 21 June 2019 Most of what was known about dormancy came from bacteria that formed hardy spores, including Bacillus anthracis, the soil microbe famous for causing anthrax. — Carrie Arnold, WIRED, "A Blazing Hot Coal Seam Shows How Microbes Can Spring to Life," 21 Apr. 2019 And vaccines being developed against some of the world’s wilier pathogens — malaria, HIV, anthrax — are based on strategies that could, according to evolutionary models and lab experiments, encourage pathogens to become even more dangerous. — Quanta Magazine, "Vaccines Are Pushing Pathogens to Evolve," 10 May 2018 The researchers hypothesize that flies could be at least partially responsible for the persistent spread of the disease, which is transmitted by a different microbe from the type of anthrax that infects people. — Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, "Anthrax-carrying flies follow monkeys through the forest," 12 July 2019 In situations ranging from the 2001 anthrax attacks to 2016’s Zika scare, Americans have been lucky to have strong biodefenses. — Andrew Hessel, Ars Technica, "Printing vaccines at the pharmacy or at home will be the way of the future," 20 June 2019 In 2016, Russian scientists said an outbreak of anthrax in western Siberia was due to the thawing of a frozen carcass of an infected reindeer that died 75 years ago. — Emily Dixon And Nathan Hodge, CNN, "40,000-year-old severed wolf's head discovered in Siberia," 11 June 2019 Certainly there are others, like the flu, which circulates through birds and pigs, and anthrax, which is primarily associated with cattle. — Catherine Zuckerman, National Geographic, "Meet the scientist who took on the first Ebola scare in the U.S.," 2 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anthrax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anthrax
anthrax
noun
English Language Learners Definition of anthrax
: a serious disease that affects animals (such as cattle and sheep) and sometimes people
See the full definition for anthrax in the English Language Learners Dictionary
anthrax
noun
an·thrax
| \ ˈan-ˌthraks
\
\
Kids Definition of anthrax
: a serious bacterial disease of warm-blooded animals (as sheep) that can affect humans
anthrax
noun
an·thrax
| \ ˈan-ˌthraks
\
\
plural anthraces\ -thrə-ˌsēz
\
\
Medical Definition of anthrax
: an infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (as cattle and sheep) caused by a spore-forming bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), transmissible to humans especially by the handling of infected products (as hair), and characterized by cutaneous ulcerating nodules or by often fatal lesions in the lungs
also
: the bacterium causing anthrax