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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
Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Further analysis confirmed that the spiders' carbon and nitrogen signatures traced back to sulfur-oxidizing microbes, not plants that underwent photosynthesis like those above ground.
—New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2025
In a 2024 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology scientists found probiotics may reduce inflammation and pathogenic microbes in the gut, as well as potentially improve outcomes for cognition.
—Lauryn Higgins, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
Equally important is soil microbiology, treating soil as a living organism, rich with fungi, microbes, and nutrients that sustain everything above ground.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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microbe
noun
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microbe
noun
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