germ theory

noun

: a theory in medicine: infections, contagious diseases, and various other conditions result from the action of microorganisms

Examples of germ theory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Can’t endure intense lectures on the perils of germ theory? Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025 Better sanitation and understanding of germ theory are part of the story, but one key factor that’s transformed American childhood over the past century is the widespread adoption of vaccines. Anna North, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Second, Louis Pasteur advanced the germ theory of disease, which postulated that microbes can cause illness. Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025 Thus, in an era when the germ theory of disease held about equal sway with theories involving the humors, folks knew tariffs were just regressive taxes. Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for germ theory

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of germ theory was in 1863

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Cite this Entry

“Germ theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germ%20theory. Accessed 14 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

germ theory

noun
: the theory that infectious and contagious disease results from the action of living things

Medical Definition

germ theory

noun
: a theory in medicine: infections, contagious diseases, and various other conditions (as suppurative lesions) result from the action of microorganisms

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