heatstroke

Language: en

🇬🇧 /'hiːtstrəʊk/ 🇺🇸 /'hitstrok/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A serious medical condition caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures, characterized by a dangerously elevated body temperature, often accompanied by confusion, nausea, and loss of consciousness.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

suffer heatstrokedie of heatstrokerisk of heatstrokeheatstroke symptomsprevent heatstroke

Synonyms

sunstrokehyperthermiaheat illnessthermic fever

Antonyms

hypothermia

Commonly confused

heat exhaustion
EN: 'Heat exhaustion' is a milder heat-related illness with heavy sweating and weakness; 'heatstroke' is more severe, involving a dangerously high body temperature and potential organ damage.
sunstroke
EN: 'Sunstroke' specifically implies overexposure to direct sunlight; 'heatstroke' can result from any cause of overheating, including exertion in hot environments without direct sun.

Spelling tips

EN: Often seen as two words ('heat stroke'), but the one-word form 'heatstroke' is standard in medical and formal usage.

💬 Examples

  1. The marathon runner collapsed from heatstroke after hours of running in the scorching sun.