Examples of germ warfare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Claims included wild stories about secret U.S. germ warfare labs or Nazi conspiracies or that Ukrainian refugees were committing crimes and taking jobs from people who had welcomed them.
—
David Klepper, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024
The country had been on the receiving end of germ warfare, on the part of the Imperial Japanese Army’s biowarfare Unit 731 during World War II.
—Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2020
Emergent BioSolutions, which Mr. El-Hibri took public in 2006, bought up competitors in order to sell treatments for smallpox, botulism and other potential agents of germ warfare, becoming a prime federal contractor for biodefense vaccines and treatments.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 5 May 2022
The germ warfare somehow didn’t affect women.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2021
In the 1940s, the scientific consensus was leaning towards a concept of microscopic germ warfare, a sustained battle for survival among bacteria and fungi, all equipped with their own unique and evolutionarily refined weapons in the form of antibiotics and antifungal agents.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Sep. 2015
In the 21st century, the practice has become a form of germ warfare.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 May 2021
The allegations of germ warfare were worldwide news in the first months of 1952.
—The Economist, 3 Oct. 2020
The Soviets had a keen interest in the Marburg virus in the 1980s and managed to develop an especially lethal strain after an accident at the Vector Institute, their germ warfare center in Siberia.
—Lucy Cooke, ajc, 3 July 2018
David Klepper, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024
The country had been on the receiving end of germ warfare, on the part of the Imperial Japanese Army’s biowarfare Unit 731 during World War II.
—Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2020
Emergent BioSolutions, which Mr. El-Hibri took public in 2006, bought up competitors in order to sell treatments for smallpox, botulism and other potential agents of germ warfare, becoming a prime federal contractor for biodefense vaccines and treatments.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 5 May 2022
The germ warfare somehow didn’t affect women.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2021
In the 1940s, the scientific consensus was leaning towards a concept of microscopic germ warfare, a sustained battle for survival among bacteria and fungi, all equipped with their own unique and evolutionarily refined weapons in the form of antibiotics and antifungal agents.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Sep. 2015
In the 21st century, the practice has become a form of germ warfare.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 May 2021
The allegations of germ warfare were worldwide news in the first months of 1952.
—The Economist, 3 Oct. 2020
The Soviets had a keen interest in the Marburg virus in the 1980s and managed to develop an especially lethal strain after an accident at the Vector Institute, their germ warfare center in Siberia.
—Lucy Cooke, ajc, 3 July 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germ warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1938, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near germ warfare
Cite this Entry
“Germ warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germ%20warfare. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
germ warfare
noun
germ war·fare
-ˈwȯr-ˌfe(ə)r 
: the use of harmful microorganisms (as bacteria) as weapons in war
More from Merriam-Webster on germ warfare
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about germ warfare
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