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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
New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026
The logic runs like this — these microbes have spent tens of thousands of years developing biological mechanisms to withstand freezing temperatures.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
These microbes stayed consistent.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
Daniel Sprockett, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Wake Forest University’s medical school, had been impressed when a student rotating in his lab submitted a GRFP proposal for studying how microplastics impact gut microbes.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 11 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
