microbiome
noun
mi·cro·bi·ome
ˌmī-krō-ˈbī-ˌōm 
1
: a community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment and especially the collection of microorganisms living in or on the human body
Your body is home to about 100 trillion bacteria and other microbes, collectively known as your microbiome.—
Carl Zimmer
Carl Zimmer… what's arguably become the hottest area of medicine: microbiome research, an emerging field that's investigating how the bacteria that live in and on our bodies affect our health.—Sunny Sea Gold
Sunny Sea Gold2
: the collective genomes of microorganisms inhabiting a particular environment and especially the human body
They form one community among the many that make up the human microbiome: the full genetic complement of bacteria and other organisms at home on your skin, gums, and teeth, in your genital tract, and especially in your gut.—Nathan Wolfe
Nathan WolfeExamples of microbiome in a Sentence
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Eating fiber also affects digestion and the gut microbiome (the community of microbes in the gut), and can help prevent diarrhea and constipation.
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 27 July 2025
The result is a happy, balanced microbiome, which again, helps maximize the availability of mood-regulating serotonin and other neurotransmitters in your brain.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 25 July 2025
New research from the Jackson Lab, however, has found a unique biological fingerprint of the disease in the gut microbiome, which should not only give ME/CFS patients hope that their symptoms will be taken seriously, but also open the door to new treatment options.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
Encounters with the bacteria around us reshape our microbiomes, which in turn affect many aspects of our health.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
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Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 27 July 2025
The result is a happy, balanced microbiome, which again, helps maximize the availability of mood-regulating serotonin and other neurotransmitters in your brain.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 25 July 2025
New research from the Jackson Lab, however, has found a unique biological fingerprint of the disease in the gut microbiome, which should not only give ME/CFS patients hope that their symptoms will be taken seriously, but also open the door to new treatment options.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
Encounters with the bacteria around us reshape our microbiomes, which in turn affect many aspects of our health.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for microbiome
Cite this Entry
“Microbiome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbiome. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
microbiome
noun
mi·cro·bi·ome
ˌmī-krō-ˈbī-ˌōm
1
: a community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment and especially the collection of microorganisms living in or on the human body
The intestinal microbiome consists of the microorganisms that inhabit the gut.—Clara Abraham et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
Clara Abraham et al., The New England Journal of MedicineCollectively known as the microbiome, this community may play a role in regulating one's risk of obesity, asthma and allergies.—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American
Carrie Arnold, Scientific AmericanThe human oral microbiome comprises all microbial species in the oral cavity.—Naomi P. O'Grady, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Naomi P. O'Grady, The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: the collective genomes of microorganisms inhabiting a particular environment and especially the human body
As part of a new citizen-science initiative called the American Gut project, the lab sequenced my microbiome—that is, the genes not of "me," exactly, but of the several hundred microbial species with whom I share this body.—Michael Pollan, The New York Times
Michael Pollan, The New York TimesTogether, the genomes of these microbial symbionts (collectively defined as the microbiome) provide traits that humans did not need to evolve on their own.—Peter J. Turnbaugh et al., Nature
Peter J. Turnbaugh et al., NatureLove words? Need even more definitions?
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