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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
IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Further investigation is needed to determine whether microbes play a role in cancer development or whether other causes, such as genetics or immunosuppression, are at play, according to the doctor.
—Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Your gut microbiome is made up of microorganisms (microbes), like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that live in your digestive tract.
—Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 1 Oct. 2025
The microbes still need a small amount of sulfuric acid to kick-start the process of breaking down the ore.
—Vanessa Bates Ramirez, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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