superbug

noun

su·​per·​bug ˈsü-pər-ˌbəg How to pronounce superbug (audio)
: a pathogenic microorganism and especially a bacterium that has developed resistance to the medications normally used against it

Examples of superbug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Health officials from several countries were scheduled to discuss strategies to respond to superbugs at the meeting. CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025 When humans fall ill from these superbugs, the typical course of antibiotics may not do the trick to heal them. Bryan Walsh, Vox, 30 Dec. 2024 Experimental trials are now underway to test bacteriophage therapies against superbugs such as , vancomycin-resistant , and a strain of implicated in Crohn’s disease. Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 31 Dec. 2024 Combatting superbugs Researchers estimated that more than 1 million people died globally from antibiotic-resistant infections in 2019. Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for superbug 

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of superbug was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near superbug

Cite this Entry

“Superbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superbug. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Medical Definition

superbug

noun
su·​per·​bug ˈsü-pər-ˌbəg How to pronounce superbug (audio)
: a pathogenic microorganism and especially a bacterium that has developed resistance to the medications normally used against it
The rise of superbugs that can survive multiple antibiotics—such as MRSA, the notorious "flesh-eating bacterium"—has turned once-trivial infections into persistent problems.Valerie Ross, Discover
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