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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
Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 July 2024
Now, researchers have figured out the secret behind their uncanny power to demolish even large wooden structures: symbiotic microbes growing in shipworms’ guts.
—Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 16 June 2024
Research has suggested that people who grow up on farms, for instance, have lower rates of Crohn’s disease, asthma and allergies, likely because of their exposure to a diverse array of microbes.
—Holly Burns, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024
In other words, there’s a very small chance that human poop microbes could interfere with alien moon life.
—Becky Ferreira, WIRED, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for microbe 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microbe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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