vibrio

noun

vib·​rio ˈvi-brē-ˌō How to pronounce vibrio (audio)
plural vibrios
: any of a genus (Vibrio) of short rigid motile bacteria that are straight or curved rods and include pathogens causing especially gastrointestinal diseases (such as cholera)
vibrionic
ˌvi-brē-ˈä-nik How to pronounce vibrio (audio)
adjective

Examples of vibrio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The other pretty much risk-free option is to cook them, which kills off any vibrio that might be in the meat. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025 For over a decade, the cause of the devastation was a mystery, until recently, when my colleagues traced sea star wasting disease to a highly infectious vibrio bacteria. — Rebecca Vega Thurber, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025 Tracking is optional for infections caused by campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. — Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026 In a typical year, the CDC reports about 80,000 people are infected and 100 die from some form of vibrio. — Leada Gore | [email protected], al, 5 Sep. 2023 See All Example Sentences for vibrio

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, Vibrion-, Vibrio, from Latin vibrare to wave

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vibrio was circa 1864

Browse Nearby Words

vibratory
vibrio
vibrion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vibrio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vibrio. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

vibrio

noun
vib·​rio ˈvib-rē-ō How to pronounce vibrio (audio)
1
capitalized : a genus of short rigid motile bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae that are straight or curved rods, have one or sometimes two or three polar flagella enclosed in a sheath, and include various saprophytes and a few pathogens (as V. cholerae, the cause of cholera in humans)
2
: any bacterium of the genus Vibrio
broadly : a curved rod-shaped bacterium

More from Merriam-Webster on vibrio

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vibrio

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All