fever
/ˈfiːvə/noun
A body temperature that rises above normal, usually as a sign of illness.
Example sentences
- “She stayed home from school because she had a fever.”
- “The baby's fever finally broke after two long nights.”
Figuratively, a fever is collective excitement: election fever, gold fever, 'at fever pitch'. A temperature of 38 C or 100.4 F is the usual medical threshold.