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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
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 June 2025
Glycerin is a sugar alcohol that can serve as fuel for the microbes in your nether regions, in particular yeast.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 3 June 2025
While the chemicals handle the microbes in the pool, here are some hands-free ways to manage the larger debris, like bugs and leaves.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 1 June 2025
Most experts argue that astronauts would inevitably import some Earthly microbes to the Martian surface, potentially compromising the integrity of supposedly pristine samples as well as that of the planet itself.
—Leonard David, Scientific American, 8 May 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 9 Jun. 2025.
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microbe
noun
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microbe
noun
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