# diabetes

/ˌdaɪəˈbitiz/ (US) · /daɪəbˈiːtiːz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/diabetes
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. medical condition

noun · CEFR B1 · Technical

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

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

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

### 2. sugary food

noun · CEFR C1 · Humorous · Slang · Informal

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

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

- That giant chocolate milkshake looks like diabetes in a cup.
- The dessert menu was essentially a list of various forms of diabetes, featuring triple-layered cakes and syrup-drenched pastries.

Teaching tip: This usage is common in casual internet culture but can be seen as insensitive to people who actually have the medical condition.

## Examples

- He manages his diabetes by checking his blood sugar every morning.
- After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, she worked with a nutritionist to create a balanced meal plan.
- Advances in medical technology have allowed patients with diabetes to monitor their glucose levels in real-time using wearable sensors linked to their smartphones.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.