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diabetes

n.
US //ˌdaɪəˈbitiz// UK //daɪəbˈiːtiːz// di·a·betes
  1. 1 medical condition (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Technical Medicine

    a serious disease where your body cannot properly process sugar, often requiring medicine or a special diet.

    a chronic metabolic disease, specifically diabetes mellitus, characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose due to insulin deficiency or resistance.

    Example

    He has to check his blood sugar levels every day because of his diabetes.

    Example

    Type 2 diabetes is often managed through a combination of dietary intervention, regular physical activity, and pharmacological treatments to maintain glycemic control.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable and used without an article.
    • diabetes mellitus
  2. 2 sugary food (n.)
    C1 Advanced Humorous Slang Informal

    a funny way to describe food or drinks that have a huge amount of sugar.

    a hyperbolic reference to food or beverages containing excessive sugar content.

    Example

    That giant chocolate milkshake looks like diabetes in a cup.

    Example

    The dessert menu was essentially a list of various forms of diabetes, featuring triple-layered cakes and syrup-drenched pastries.

    Teacher's tip

    This usage is common in casual internet culture but can be seen as insensitive to people who actually have the medical condition.
    • sugar bomb
Origin

From Latin diabētēs (“siphon”), from Ancient Greek διαβήτης (diabḗtēs), from Ancient Greek διαβαίνω (diabaínō, “to pass through”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 19, 2026