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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
Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
These microbes metabolize unspent sugars in the mash and the yeast detritus.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Coffee grounds contain carbon, nitrogen, and trace minerals that feed soil microbes that promote good soil structure and improve drainage.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025
The stickiness of the biofilm’s cell matrix is determined by a range of factors, such as its chemical composition and the size and shape of the component microbes.
—Carrie Arnold, Quanta Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for microbe
Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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