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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
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
They’ve been found to contain as many as 45 billion microbes of bacteria per cubic centimeter.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
However, researchers caution that such efforts may be outpaced by the evolving biology of these microbes.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The researchers also found that the relationship between us and our gut microbes isn’t one-way.
—New Atlas, 24 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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