plural symbiotes
: an organism living in symbiosis : symbiont
The thing in the crevice was some sort of vegetative symbiote, I conjectured. It fed its companions foods that it manufactured from air, water, subterranean temperature variances (if it had deep roots), and probably other lichens as well as minerals leached from the rock.Matthew Hughes

Examples of symbiote in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Baker and his team placed a bevy of hard corals on the structure, including corals implanted with a more heat-resistant algal symbiote (the tiny critters that live inside the coral animal and provide it shade and food). Alex Harris july 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026 The story takes some dramatic twists and the Venom symbiote amplifies the game's overall aggression. George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026 Kicking off with 2018’s Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer, the franchise centers on Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who becomes an antagonist to Spider-Man after an alien symbiote bonds to his body. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026 The trailer revealed that Season 2 will introduce the Venom symbiote, Gwen Stacy and bring back Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for symbiote

Word History

Etymology

perhaps borrowed from French, borrowed from Greek symbiōtḗs "companion, partner," from symbiō-, variant stem of symbioûn "to live together" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at symbiosis

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of symbiote was in 1877

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Cite this Entry

“Symbiote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbiote. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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