bill of health

noun phrase

1
: a certificate given to the ship's master at the time of leaving port that indicates the state of health of a ship's company and of a port with regard to infectious diseases
2
: a usually favorable report following an examination or investigation
gave the criticized textbook a clean bill of health

Examples of bill of health in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 10-year-old separated his shoulder falling down a flight of concrete steps and got a clean bill of health from the orthopedic doctor two weeks later. Caleb Harris, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 The 74-year-old Democratic minority leader from Brooklyn returned to Capitol Hill and was back at work after getting a clean bill of health from doctors. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 June 2025 As a result, the Times found that many labs falsify reports to give their clients a clean bill of health or higher potency results, or both. Andrew Deangelo, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 The match came after the dog received a complete medical evaluation and a clean bill of health. Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bill of health

Word History

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bill of health was in 1644

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bill of health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bill%20of%20health. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

bill of health

noun
: a duly authenticated certificate of the state of health of a ship's company and of a port with regard to infectious diseases that is given to the ship's master at the time of leaving the port
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