pathogen

noun

path·​o·​gen ˈpa-thə-jən 

: a specific causative agent (such as a bacterium or virus) of disease

Examples of pathogen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some Align probiotics contain Bifidobacterium animalis, a probiotic shown to inhibit pathogens. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Food safety experts say that the accumulation of outbreaks this summer is striking but that tracking the number of outbreaks — or recalls, for that matter — isn’t the best way to capture the risk from foodborne pathogens. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

The states must resist, regardless of the political affiliation and ideology of their leaders; the pathogens that can and will kill their children do not, after all, observe these political distinctions. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

The breakthrough could help fight bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotic medicines and allow scientists to develop personalized treatments that adapt at the same rate as the pathogens that cause disease. — Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

patho- + -gen, after pathogenic, pathogenesis

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pathogen

noun

patho·​gen

ˈpath-ə-jən

: a germ (as a bacterium or virus) that causes disease

Medical Definition

pathogen

noun

patho·​gen ˈpath-ə-jən 

: a specific causative agent (as a bacterium or virus) of disease