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# flu

noun (flu, the flu — uncountable; short for influenza)

«flu» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

An illness caused by a virus that gives you a high temperature, aches, a cough, a sore throat and makes you feel very tired. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#m1)

### In the lessons

In health lessons, flu spreads through coughs, sneezes and dirty hands, so we catch coughs in a tissue or elbow and wash our hands. Many people get a flu vaccine every year. Flu is worse than a common cold. Phrases: have the flu, catch the flu, flu jab, flu shot, flu season, stomach flu.

### Examples

- I stayed home because I had the flu. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x1)
- Catch your sneeze to stop flu spreading. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x2)
- I had my flu shot at the doctor's. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x3)
- Flu season is in winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x4)
- You feel very tired and achy with flu. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x5)
- Wash your hands to keep flu away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/#x6)

### Note

Uncountable: "have flu" or "have the flu", not "a flu". It is short for "influenza". Myth: antibiotics do not cure flu, because flu is a virus. Don't confuse "flu" with "flew" (past of fly) or "flue" (a chimney pipe); they sound the same.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «flu» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flu/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«flu» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/flu.html) on Mova free.