pro·bi·ot·ic | \ prō-bī-ˈä-tik 
, -bē-ˈä- \
, -bē-ˈä- \Definition of probiotic
: a microorganism (such as lactobacillus) that when consumed (as in a food or a dietary supplement) maintains or restores beneficial bacteria to the digestive tract also : a product or preparation that contains such microorganisms — compare prebiotic
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of probiotic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web So his group turned to Saccharomyces boulardii, a type of yeast considered safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a probiotic to improve gut health.
—
Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, "Antibody-producing yeast vanquishes deadly gut infection in mice," 28 Oct. 2020 One way to combat this is to ask your doctor about taking a probiotic at the same time, to preserve your populations of helpful bacteria, says Dr. Cackovic.
—
Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, "8 Yeast Infection Causes That Should Be on Your Radar," 6 Oct. 2020 Care probiotic helped support her immune system after Callum arrived.
—
Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Jenna Dewan Had to ‘Remember to Look After Myself’ at the Start of the Pandemic," 26 Aug. 2020 Gut health has gained attention in recent years, prompting some health-conscious people to take probiotics supplements, drink apple cider vinegar and eat yogurt.
—
Washington Post, "UVA researcher working to engineer ‘gut bugs’ for health," 2 Aug. 2019 Her mask of choice is K-Beauty staple Lapcos Pearl Sheet Mask ($14), which is full of probiotics and botanical ingredients to brighten and clarify the skin.
—
Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Actress Trace Lysette Shares Her Daily Skincare Routine," 22 Apr. 2020 There is a need, however, for more research to determine the ideal duration of treatment, dosage and strain of probiotics to achieve better mental health.
—
Lisa Drayer, CNN, "Foods to boost your mood, now that you really need it," 16 Apr. 2020 While compelling evidence on the benefits of additives like prebiotics and probiotics is lacking, one exception is milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), a protein present in breastmilk that contains several important biologically active factors.
—
Susan Reslewic Keatley, New York Times, "Formula Feeding: How Much and How Often to Feed Your Baby," 18 Apr. 2020 Don't forget probiotics like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi.
—
Angela Dewan, CNN, "What you need to know about coronavirus on Friday, April 17," 17 Apr. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'probiotic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for probiotic
probiotic
nounpro·bi·ot·ic | \ prō-bī-ˈät-ik, -bē- \
\Medical Definition of probiotic
: a microorganism (such as lactobacillus or bifidobacterium) that when consumed (as in a food or a dietary supplement) maintains or restores beneficial bacteria to the digestive tract also : a product or preparation that contains such microorganisms — compare prebiotic
Comments on probiotic
What made you want to look up probiotic? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Here Be Dragons: A Creature Identification Quiz
- Which is a synonym of werewolf?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share probiotic
Time Traveler for probiotic
The first known use of probiotic was in 1974
See more words from the same year