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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
Alice Park, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
In other words, the microbes alone appeared capable of boosting prosocial tendencies.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The findings highlight how extreme environments can produce microbes with unique engineering value.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025
This results in the death of the microbe, without promoting the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 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 7 Dec. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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