water bear

noun

Examples of water bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The resilient tun state isn’t the only tactic water bears use to survive environmental stress, and the team plans to scrutinize other strategies. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2024 When water begins to flow again, water bears absorb it to rehydrate and return to life. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 16 Apr. 2024 The team devised several experiments to temporarily expose water bears to stress-inducing, free-radical-producing conditions, such as high levels of salt, sugar and hydrogen peroxide. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2024 They are sometimes called water bears or moss piglets. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for water bear 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'water bear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water bear was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near water bear

Cite this Entry

“Water bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20bear. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on water bear

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