: a primitive usually unicellular often environmentally resistant dormant or reproductive body produced by plants, fungi, and some microorganisms and capable of development into a new individual either directly or after fusion with another spore
: spore having (such) a characteristic or origin
basidiospore
Examples of spore in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Brennan
may 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2026
Mold is a fungus that spreads through microscopic airborne spores.
—Ryan Brennan
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
The spongy underside of the cap has pores—rather than gills as seen in Agaricales mushrooms such as shiitake and portobello—which are the openings to tubes through which spores exit the mushroom.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spore
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Noun
Pulling back wallpaper with mold on the underside, for instance, can scatter spores throughout the home.
—Ryan Brennan
may 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2026
Mold is a fungus that spreads through microscopic airborne spores.
—Ryan Brennan
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
Verb
Rust spores overwinter in leaf debris and infect new foliage in spring with as little as two to four hours of moisture.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
The spongy underside of the cap has pores—rather than gills as seen in Agaricales mushrooms such as shiitake and portobello—which are the openings to tubes through which spores exit the mushroom.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spore
Cite this Entry
“Spore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spore. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spore
1 of 2 noun
ˈspō(ə)r 
ˈspȯ(ə)r
: a reproductive body that is produced by fungi and by some plants and microorganisms (as ferns and bacteria) and that usually consists of a single cell and is able to produce a new individual either by developing by itself or after fusion with another spore
spore
2 of 2 verb
spored; sporing
: to produce or reproduce by spores
Medical Definition
spore
1 of 2 noun
: a primitive usually unicellular often environmentally resistant dormant or reproductive body produced by plants, fungi, and some microorganisms and capable of developing into a new individual either directly or after fusion with another spore
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