Health is the condition of a person's body and mind, especially the state of being free from illness or injury. The word is also used attributively to describe things that are beneficial or related to the body: health advice, health food, health insurance.
What Does Health Mean?
Health is one of the most frequent nouns in English, appearing in everyday conversation, medical writing, news articles, and public policy. At its core it describes how well — or how poorly — your body and mind are functioning. A doctor checks your health; a government protects public health; a friend asks about your health when they have not seen you for a while.
The word covers physical health (the absence of disease or injury), mental health (emotional and psychological well-being), and social health (your ability to form and maintain relationships). Modern usage increasingly treats all three as equally important. In British English, health also appears in the phrase "your health!" — a toast raised before drinking — and in institutional names such as the National Health Service (NHS).
As an attributive noun, health modifies other nouns: health check, health centre, health visitor, health worker. These compound forms are essential for intermediate and advanced learners reading English media or working in healthcare contexts.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| Exercise is good for your health. | A2 — basic subject complement |
| She read a health article in English every week to build her medical vocabulary. | B1 — attributive noun modifier |
| After the accident, his health slowly improved over the following months. | B1 — health as subject with verb collocate |
| The government launched a new campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues in the workplace. | B2 — compound noun, formal register |
| Long-term exposure to air pollution poses significant risks to cardiovascular health, particularly in urban populations. | C1 — academic register, compound noun |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| good / poor health | She retired in good health at the age of 65. |
| mental health | Schools must take mental health seriously. |
| public health | Vaccination is a public health priority. |
| health care | Access to affordable health care is a basic right. |
| health check | He booked a routine health check with his GP. |
| boost / improve your health | A balanced diet can boost your health considerably. |
| damage / harm your health | Smoking seriously damages your health. |
| in good / poor health | The patient was in poor health when admitted. |
| health risks | The report outlined the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle. |
| health and safety | All staff must follow health and safety regulations. |
Usage Notes
Key Points for ESL Learners
Uncountable noun: Health does not usually take an article or a plural form. Say good health, not a good health or good healths. The exception is the formal toast "your health!" where the word is used in an idiomatic, fixed phrase.
Attributive use: Health commonly appears directly before another noun: health centre, health insurance, health visitor. In these cases, health functions as a modifier, not as an adjective — so you cannot place it after a linking verb: say a healthy diet (adjective), not a health diet.
Word family: The adjective is healthy (opposite: unhealthy); the adverb is healthily; the abstract noun is healthiness. The verb form heal is related but has a narrower meaning (to recover from injury).
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I want a good health. (incorrect article with uncountable noun)
I want good health. (no article needed)
She follows a health diet. (health cannot be predicative adjective)
She follows a healthy diet. (use the adjective form)
His healths have improved. (health has no standard plural)
His health has improved. (uncountable — use singular verb)