From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdiseasedis‧ease /dɪˈziːz/ ●●● S3 W1 noun 1 [countable, uncountable]MI an illness which affects a person, animal, or plantdisease of She suffers from a rare disease of the brain. His father died of heart disease. She contracted the disease while she was abroad on holiday.► see thesaurus at illness2 [countable]MISS something that is seriously wrong with society or with someone’s mind, behaviour etc Loneliness is a disease of our urban communities. —diseased adjective diseased muscles a diseased plantCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a diseaseHow long have you had the disease?suffer from a diseaseAbout three million people suffer from the disease.catch/get a disease (also contract a disease formal)He caught the disease while travelling in Africa.develop a diseaseA few years ago, she developed a serious lung disease.pass on a disease (also transmit a disease formal)They may pass the disease on to their children.cause a diseaseSmoking is probably the major factor causing heart disease.prevent a diseaseIt has been claimed that fibre in the diet could help prevent many serious diseases.treat a diseaseThe disease can be treated with antibiotics.cure a diseaseThe plant was believed to cure diseases in humans and cattle. fight (a) disease (=try to stop it continuing)Some bacteria help the human body fight disease.a disease spreadsThe government have no idea how far the disease has spread.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + diseasecommoncommon childhood diseases rareShe suffers from a rare bone disease.seriousvaccines against serious diseases like hepatitis and meningitisfatal/deadly (=that causes death)If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.Thousands of children are struck down by this deadly disease every year.incurable (=that cannot be cured)Diseases that were once thought incurable can be treated with antibiotics.infectious/contagious (=that spreads quickly from one person to another)The disease is highly contagious.a skin/brain/lung etc diseaseThe fumes have caused skin diseases among the villagers.heart/liver/kidney diseaseHe is being treated for kidney disease.a hereditary/inherited disease (=that is passed from parent to child)Parents are offered screening for some hereditary diseases.a sexually-transmitted disease (=that is spread by having sex)There was a worrying rise in the number of sexually-transmitted diseases.a degenerative disease (=that gradually gets worse)She was suffering from a degenerative disease that confined her to a wheelchair.a chronic disease (=continuing for a long time and not possible to cure)Chronic disease is sometimes seen as an inevitable part of being old.phrasesa cure for a diseaseThere is no known cure for this disease.an outbreak of a disease (=when a disease appears in a number of people or animals)There has been an outbreak of the disease in Wales.the spread of a diseaseKnowing the facts about AIDS can prevent the spread of the disease.the symptoms of a disease (=physical signs that someone has a disease)To begin with, there are often no symptoms of the disease.
Examples from the Corpus
disease• The mental, emotional and other consequences are similar for all addictive disease.• Thousands of people in this area are dying from hunger and disease.• Freedom from internal bruising, disease, cracking and greening. 5.• Childhood diseases such as measles and chickenpox are highly contagious.• Malaria is still a common disease in West Africa and is often fatal.• We are bitten by mites and ticks, some of which carry dangerous diseases, and by fleas.• Diverticular disease is a condition of the bowel caused by abnormal activity of the bowel wall when your diet contains insufficient fibre.• Fat control is still very important for reducing risks for heart disease, some cancers and obesity.• Smoking is a major cause of heart disease.• Travellers to India are advised to get vaccinated against infectious diseases such as typhoid before they go.• She suffers from a rare disease of the nervous system.• Six Crohn's disease cultures and a single non-inflammatory bowel disease control were positive for M paratuberculosis.• Nationalism can be a serious disease.• Anyone can catch the disease -- not just homosexual men or drug addicts.• Whether the abandoned innards, which are consumed by coyotes and ravens, harbor the disease is hotly debated.• The most common symptoms of the disease are a high temperature and spots all over the body.• Many had been lost through disease or in the floods or to thieves.Origin disease (1300-1400) Old French desaise, from aise “relaxed feeling, comfort” 