1. A contagious viral disease characterized by fever and swelling of the salivary glands, especially those in the cheeks and jaw.
Usage: Usually treated as a singular noun, though the disease affects paired glands; Preventable by the MMR vaccine

Examples

• My brother came down with mumps last winter and had to stay home from school for a week.
• The mumps vaccine has made the disease much less common in developed countries.
• She had swollen cheeks and a fever, which were classic signs of mumps.
• Before the MMR vaccine was introduced, mumps was a frequent childhood illness.
• The doctor confirmed it was mumps after examining the patient's swollen glands.