antibiotics

noun

plural of antibiotic
as in drugs
medical a substance that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of antibiotics Anaplasmosis can also cause severe illness, including respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure and death, though it can also be treated with antibiotics, especially if caught early. — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026 Taking magnesium with certain antibiotics, such as doxycycline and ciprofloxacin, can reduce antibiotic absorption. — Kirstyn Hill, Health, 14 July 2026 Today that figure is closer to 79, thanks to improvements in sanitation, antibiotics, vaccines, safer childbirth and emergency care. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is not usually life-threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics. — Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Doctors will usually treat the illness with antibiotics and may also recommend using antidiarrheal medications and staying hydrated. — Michelle Marchante july 10, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 The infection is treated with antibiotics, and while most healthy people can probably fight it off on their own, prolonged, untreated illness can last for months and recur, according to the CDC. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Although most people recover from Legionnaires' disease with antibiotics, certain patients – including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases – can develop complications that can be fatal. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 July 2026 After a positive urine culture, patients without any symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) usually start unnecessary and potentially harmful antibiotics. — Daniel Morgan, STAT, 6 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antibiotics
  1. drugs
  2. medications
  3. medicines
  4. pharmaceuticals
  5. medicaments
  6. remedies
  7. prescriptions
  8. physics
Noun
  • From premium pet food to medical care Whether GLP-1 drugs eventually become commonplace in veterinary medicine remains uncertain.
    — Elsa Ohlen,Carolin Roth, CNBC, 18 July 2026
  • The Fort Worth Police Department arrested three men on narcotics charges after seizing a large amount of drugs from their homes, police said.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 17, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026
Definition of drugs
Noun
  • Treatment methods Before prescribing TRT, doctors generally look for potentially reversible or temporary factors, including obesity, certain medications, untreated obstructive sleep apnea, acute illness and excessive alcohol use.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
  • Upon their arrival, Sarah and Kevin Lockwood help their son, who has several diagnoses including cerebral palsy, into his wheelchair and unload his bags of clothes and medications.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 20 July 2026
Definition of medications
Noun
  • Peptide therapeutics are medicines made from short chains of amino acids, including some GLP-1 obesity and diabetes drugs that mimic a natural hormone to reduce appetite and regulate blood sugar.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 20 July 2026
  • Things like air filters, cycling air in buildings and cars, checking window seals, stocking up on face masks, and keeping vigilant on medical needs and medicines are all things people need to pay attention to and practice.
    — Anjalee Khemlani, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of medicines
Noun
  • Those figures include pharmaceuticals, devices and services, not supplements alone.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Among the agency’s global priorities, are strengthening supply chains for critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and crop protection.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Definition of pharmaceuticals
Noun
  • Two employees in pharmaceutical industry wearing protective gloves, mask, cap and white suit seen standing by the machine that is the part of the medicaments production during the working hours in a pharmaceutical manufacturing.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 29 May 2026
Definition of medicaments
Noun
  • The green light doesn’t require any divestitures, behavioral remedies or concessions.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
  • Several inexpensive chemical and natural DIY remedies can remove clothes moths; try all of them before seeking professional help.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026
Definition of remedies
Noun
  • Already the spiraling cost of everyday necessities like groceries, prescriptions and gas have forced her to get by on a lot less.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 19 July 2026
  • Older adults are more heterogeneous than people in younger age groups in terms of chronic conditions and multiple medications, Chen says, which can pose challenges with both prescriptions and side effects.
    — Liz Seegert, Scientific American, 19 July 2026
Definition of prescriptions
Noun
  • Nonlocality, whose experimental verification helped earn the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, allows distant quantum systems to produce correlations that cannot be explained by classical physics alone.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
  • Colliding protons at record-setting energies of almost 14 trillion electron volts (TeV), the LHC became the world’s most powerful collider and redrew the map of experimental particle physics.
    — Florencia Canelli, Scientific American, 1 July 2026
Definition of physics

Browse Nearby Words

antibiotic
antibiotics
antic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Antibiotics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antibiotics. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on antibiotics

Nglish: Translation of antibiotics for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All