Ebola virus

noun

: any of several filoviruses (genus Orthoebolavirus and especially O. zairense) of African origin that cause an often fatal hemorrhagic fever

Examples of Ebola virus 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.
The current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus, is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 The idea is similar to the current biosafety level system that limits access to pathogens such as Ebola virus to certain high-security labs. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026 Preparedness investments remained disproportionately focused on the Ebola virus responsible for the last global crisis, leaving us less prepared for the broader range of Ebola viruses capable of causing the next epidemic. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026 The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood and body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, vomit, breast milk, sweat and semen), and objects that have been contaminated by a person with Ebola. — Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for Ebola virus

Word History

Etymology

from the Ebola River in the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire)

Note: According to Peter Piot, a Belgian member of an international commission formed to investigate the first outbreak of the virus in 1976, the name was chosen by members of the commission (including the French physician Pierre Sureau and the Americans Karl Johnson and Joel Breman) from a map of Zaire at the Fonds Médical Tropical, a non-governmental organization in Kinshasa where the members were lodged. Though the Ebola River (a headwater stream of the Mongala River, a tributary of the Congo) turned out to be a considerable distance from the village of Yambuku where the fever was first observed, the name was nonetheless retained. The name "Yambuku virus" was avoided because of the stigma it would have attached to the village. (See Peter Piot, No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses, W.W. Norton, 2012, pp. 56-57.)

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Ebola virus was in 1976

Rhymes for Ebola virus

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Browse Nearby Words

Ebola
Ebola virus
ebon
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Cite this Entry

“Ebola virus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ebola%20virus. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Medical Definition

Ebola virus

noun
: any of several filoviruses (genus Orthoebolavirus and especially O. zairense) of African origin that cause an often fatal hemorrhagic fever
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