microbe

noun

mi·​crobe ˈmī-ˌkrōb How to pronounce microbe (audio)
microbial adjective
or less commonly microbic
microbially adverb

Did you know?

A hint of the Greek word bios, meaning "life", can be seen in microbe. Microbes, or microorganisms, include bacteria, protozoa, fungi, algae, amoebas, and slime molds. Many people think of microbes as simply the causes of disease, but every human is actually the host to billions of microbes, and most of them are essential to our life. Much research is now going into possible microbial sources of future energy; algae looks particularly promising, as do certain newly discovered or created microbes that can produce cellulose, to be turned into ethanol and other biofuels.

Examples of microbe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The atmosphere heated up, and the thick dust cloud prevented microbes from converting sunlight into energy. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 This microbe testing is in fact required by law, but there’s no one forcing brands to actually do it. Deanna Pai, Allure, 18 Oct. 2024 Now, scientists from Caltech have calculated a potential habitable zone for subterranean microbes on Mars. Michael Irving, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024 This finding boosts hopes that microbes might someday help remove these notoriously pervasive pollutants from the environment. Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for microbe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microbe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary micr- + Greek bios life — more at quick entry 1

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of microbe was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near microbe

Cite this Entry

“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

microbe

noun
mi·​crobe ˈmī-ˌkrōb How to pronounce microbe (audio)
microbial adjective
also microbic

Medical Definition

microbe

noun
mi·​crobe ˈmī-ˌkrōb How to pronounce microbe (audio)
: microorganism, germ
used especially of pathogenic bacteria

More from Merriam-Webster on microbe

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