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A hint of the Greek word bios, meaning "life", can be seen in microbe. Microbes, or microorganisms, include bacteria, protozoa, fungi, algae, amoebas, and slime molds. Many people think of microbes as simply the causes of disease, but every human is actually the host to billions of microbes, and most of them are essential to our life. Much research is now going into possible microbial sources of future energy; algae looks particularly promising, as do certain newly discovered or created microbes that can produce cellulose, to be turned into ethanol and other biofuels.
Examples of microbe in a Sentence
Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
When vultures are not able to consume carcasses, decomposition takes much longer, as the job mainly falls to insects and microbes.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2025
Scientists developed a microbe system that’s capable of autonomously fixing cracks in concrete, which if scalable might be used to help maintain roads and buildings.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
For example, in the 1970's, researchers discovered microbes at hydrothermal vents that did not depend at all on the sun and photosynthesis, and instead got their energy from chemical reactions.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 7 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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microbe
noun
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microbe
noun
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