: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms
especially
: an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by a comma-shaped gram-negative bacillus (Vibrio cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal (see proximal sense 2) part of the human small intestine
Examples of cholera in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The rainy season looms, bringing with it the threat of flooding, cholera, and more displacement.
—
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Access to safe water and proper sanitation is urgently needed to prevent the spread of cholera, acute watery diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
In the border regions of South Sudan and Ethiopia, there's a rampant cholera outbreak amid escalating violence.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
Toward the end of my time there, cholera broke out.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cholera
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Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Access to safe water and proper sanitation is urgently needed to prevent the spread of cholera, acute watery diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
In the border regions of South Sudan and Ethiopia, there's a rampant cholera outbreak amid escalating violence.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
Toward the end of my time there, cholera broke out.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cholera
Cite this Entry
“Cholera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cholera. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cholera
noun
chol·era
ˈkäl-ə-rə 
: any of several diseases usually marked by severe vomiting and diarrhea
Medical Definition
cholera
noun
chol·era
ˈkäl-ə-rə
: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms: as
a
: an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by various strains of a comma-shaped gram-negative bacterium of the genus Vibrio (V. cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal part of the human small intestine see asiatic cholera
b
c
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