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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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
Researchers practiced bacterial gene sequencing to identify which microbes were present in the participants’ mouths before and after each treatment.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Wisconsin has a state bird, tree, fossil and pastry — why not a state microbe?
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
An illustration of Yersinia pestis, the microbe that causes plague.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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