Word: Fever

Pronunciation

/ˈfiːvər/

Definitions

• Noun: An elevation in body temperature above the normal range due to illness or infection. For example: “The doctor diagnosed her with a high fever.”
• Verb (informal): To have a strong desire or enthusiasm for something. Example: “She’s been fevoring that new album all week.”

Noun Usage Examples

• “He was running a fever and had to stay home from work.”
• “The child’s fever broke overnight, and they felt much better this morning.”

Verb Usage Example

• “Ever since he started playing football, he’s been fevoring the sport like never before.”

Phrases

• “Break a fever”: To recover from a fever, typically when one’s body temperature returns to normal.
• “Fever pitch”: A state of intense excitement, activity, or agitation; often used metaphorically to describe a situation where interest or enthusiasm has reached its highest level. Example: “Interest in the upcoming election reached fever pitch.”

Example Sentences

• Noun: “She took some medicine to reduce her fever and get some rest.”
• Verb: “After watching that game, he really fevered over the team’s performance.”

Synonyms

• Pyrexia (medical term)
• Influenza (in the context of a specific type of fever caused by the flu virus)
• Intense passion or enthusiasm (when used as a verb)
• Enthusiasm, craze (for informal verb usage)

Note: As a verb, ‘fever’ is less commonly used than in the noun form, which is universally understood to mean a rise in body temperature due to illness. The informal use of ‘fever’ as a verb indicating strong desire or enthusiasm is not as prevalent as the provided synonyms in everyday language.