From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsymptomsymp‧tom /ˈsɪmptəm/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 MIsomething wrong with your body or mind which shows that you have a particular illnesssymptom of Common symptoms of diabetes are weight loss and fatigue.► see thesaurus at sign2 SHOW/BE A SIGN OFa sign that a serious problem existssymptom of The disappearance of jobs is a symptom of a deeper socioeconomic change.COLLOCATIONSverbshave symptomsMany people with the disease have no symptoms.experience/suffer symptomsI had suffered mild symptoms of asthma as a child.show symptomsThe doctor said he showed symptoms of meningitis.display/exhibit symptoms formal (=show symptoms)She was displaying symptoms of stress.cause symptomsMake a note of which foods cause the symptoms, and which do not.relieve/alleviate symptoms formal (=make them less severe)Take aspirin to relieve the symptoms, and keep warm.symptoms persist formal (=they do not stop)If the symptoms persist, see your doctor.symptoms disappearThe symptoms should disappear after a few days.adjectivesphysical symptomsDepressed people often complain of physical symptoms such as headaches.severe symptomsIf the baby develops severe symptoms, call 911.mild symptomsThe damage can be detected by a scan even where there are only mild symptoms.a common symptomBy far the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal is headache.a classic symptom (=a typical symptom)These are all classic symptoms of hay fever.withdrawal symptoms (=symptoms you get when you stop taking a substance)People who try to give up smoking usually get withdrawal symptoms.
Examples from the Corpus
symptom• In his speech the Bishop labelled these crimes as a symptom of society's moral decline.• The tablets help relieve cold symptoms.• At the medical products firm we mentioned earlier, symptoms of denial were rife.• The first symptoms of hepatitis are tiredness, vomiting, and loss of weight.• His symptoms worsened over the next two days and he returned to the nutritionist.• First the doctor asked me to describe my symptoms.• Just knowing that one is participating in a study of the menstrual cycle can increase reports of negative symptoms by 80 percent.• She had no symptoms, except that no monthly showing of blood took place.• Usually, high blood pressure has no symptoms, so many people have it for years without knowing.• The symptoms that he had put up with for 20 years now became a real problem.• At each visit, symptoms and side effects were noted and blood was taken for haematological and biochemical screening tests.symptom of• The disappearance of jobs is a symptom of a deeper socioeconomic change.• Common symptoms of diabetes are weight loss and fatigue.Origin symptom (1500-1600) Latin symptoma, from Greek, “something that happens, symptom”, from sympiptein “to happen”, from syn- ( → SYN-) + piptein “to fall” 