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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Fever

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈfiːvər/nounCore term

In medicine, fever means: A body temperature higher than normal, usually above about 38 °C, often a sign that the body is fighting an infection.

In Turkish: ateş, yüksek ateş

How it is used

Asked about in almost every history. Patients 'have a fever' or 'run a fever'; British patients often say 'I've got a temperature'. The adjective is febrile, and its opposite is afebrile.

Example sentences

  1. She's had a fever of 39 degrees for two days, with chills at night.

  2. The fever settled after 48 hours of antibiotics.

Common collocations

  • have a fever
  • high fever
  • low-grade fever
  • the fever settles
  • fever and chills
  • infectionAn illness caused when bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites enter the body and multiply.
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements checked to see how ill a patient is: temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure, and often oxygen level.
  • sepsisA life-threatening reaction to an infection in which the body's response starts to damage its own organs.
  • symptomSomething a patient feels and reports, such as pain, tiredness or nausea, that may show they have an illness. Doctors learn about it by asking, not by measuring.

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.