bioreactor

noun

bio·​re·​ac·​tor ˌbī-ō-rē-ˈak-tər 

: a device or apparatus in which living organisms and especially bacteria synthesize useful substances (such as interferon) or break down harmful ones (as in sewage)

Examples of bioreactor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once inside the bioreactor, it’s fed a steady supply of nutrients—usually a combination of sugars and minerals. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 19 Nov. 2025

To make those mini-hearts at scale, Sharma said, researchers use bioreactors that effectively mimic microgravity. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 3 May 2026

Some scientists dream of capturing carbon in microbial bioreactors, or of cultivating microbes that eat methane or plastic; certain soil microbes could make crops more tolerant to drought or to heat. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 25 May 2026

These modular systems hint at future bioreactors that couple CO₂-fixation organisms to fast converters. — Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bioreactor

• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor
• contractor
• distractor
• extractor
• impactor
• protractor
• reactor
• redactor
• refractor

Medical Definition

bioreactor

noun

bio·​re·​ac·​tor ˌbī-ō-rē-ˈak-tər 

: a device or apparatus in which living organisms and especially bacteria synthesize useful substances (as interferon) or break down harmful ones (as in sewage)