{
    "term": "epidemic",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a large number of cases of a particular disease or medical condition happening at the same time in a particular community",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the outbreak of a flu epidemic"
                },
                {
                    "text": "An epidemic of measles broke out, and over 200 children died."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In Victorian times, London endured regular epidemics of smallpox and cholera."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Over fifty people died during the flu epidemic last winter."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The worst flu epidemic for 14 years is sweeping the country."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Health problems"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["major", "global", "national"],
                "verb + epidemic": ["become", "combat", "fight"],
                "epidemic + verb": ["break out", "occur", "strike (something)"],
                "preposition": [
                    "during an/​the epidemic",
                    "in an/​the epidemic",
                    "epidemic of"
                ],
                "phrases": ["reach epidemic proportions"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a sudden rapid increase in how often something bad happens",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A recent report describes an epidemic of crime in the inner cities."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["major", "global", "national"],
                "verb + epidemic": ["become", "combat", "fight"],
                "epidemic + verb": ["break out", "occur", "strike (something)"],
                "preposition": [
                    "during an/​the epidemic",
                    "in an/​the epidemic",
                    "epidemic of"
                ],
                "phrases": ["reach epidemic proportions"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌepɪˈdemɪk/",
                "audio": "ep/epidemic/epidemic__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌepɪˈdemɪk/",
                "audio": "ep/epidemic/epidemic__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "early 17th cent. (as an adjective): from French épidémique, from épidémie, via late Latin from Greek epidēmia ‘prevalence of disease’, from epidēmios ‘prevalent’, from epi ‘upon’ + dēmos ‘the people’."
}