E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: an enterobacterium (Escherichia coli) that is used in public health as an indicator of fecal pollution (as of water or food) and in medicine and genetics as a research organism and that occurs in various strains that may live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine or may produce a toxin causing intestinal illness see enterobacterium illustration
Examples of E. coli in a Sentence
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Axford said, according to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality guidelines, water is considered unsafe if a single sample exceeds 235 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 milliliters of water or if the average of recent results exceeds 125 colony-forming units.
—
Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 4 July 2025
For instance, just like ground beef, raw shrimp can contain bacteria like E. coli.
—Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 4 July 2025
Local health departments across Milwaukee routinely test nearshore water to make sure levels of E. coli bacteria don't reach unsafe levels.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
To be considered safe for swimming, the E. coli counts must be below 300 per 100 milliliters.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
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Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 4 July 2025
For instance, just like ground beef, raw shrimp can contain bacteria like E. coli.
—Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 4 July 2025
Local health departments across Milwaukee routinely test nearshore water to make sure levels of E. coli bacteria don't reach unsafe levels.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
To be considered safe for swimming, the E. coli counts must be below 300 per 100 milliliters.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for E. coli
Cite this Entry
“E. coli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/E.%20coli. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: a bacterium in the shape of a short rod that may cause intestinal illness
Etymology
short for Escherichia coli, the taxonomic name in biology
Medical Definition
E. coli
nounˌē-ˈkō-ˌlī
plural E. coli also E. colis
: a straight rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli of the family Enterobacteriaceae) that is used in public health as an indicator of fecal pollution (as of water or food) and in medicine and genetics as a research organism and that occurs in various strains that may live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine or may produce a toxin causing intestinal illness marked especially by diarrhea
one million acid-resistant E. coli per gram of feces—John Schwartz
John Schwartzthis E. coli can survive … longer than all the other E. colis—Ed Geldreich
Ed GeldreichLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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