Did you know?
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
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
These beers are spontaneously fermented, meaning that no yeast or other microbes are added to the beer by the brewer to cause fermentation.
—Don Tse, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The bacteria are generally harmless in the gut, but when shed in feces and transferred to the urinary tract, the microbes can travel up the urethra and settle in the bladder.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Marine microbes such as bacteria and phytoplankton form the foundation of ocean food webs, providing sustenance for creatures ranging from zooplankton to whales and supporting fisheries that feed billions of people.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for microbe
Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
