E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: an enterobacterium (Escherichia coli) that is used in public health as an indicator of fecal pollution (as of water or food) and in medicine and genetics as a research organism and that occurs in various strains that may live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine or may produce a toxin causing intestinal illness see enterobacterium illustration
Examples of E. coli in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unfortunately, one of the two enzymes turns out to be mildly toxic to E. coli, slowing its growth.
—
John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 Mar. 2025
Scientific inquiries reveal that cockroaches secrete powerful antimicrobial peptides capable of neutralizing dangerous bacteria like MRSA and E. coli.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Aside from heavy metals and herbicides, Americans have also faced product recalls over listeria, salmonella and E. coli.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Join 3 others in the comments View Comments In fact, the rate of antibiotic resistance by the E. coli grown on microplastics was so high that Gross repeated the tests multiple times using different types of microplastics and combinations of antibiotics.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
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John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 Mar. 2025
Scientific inquiries reveal that cockroaches secrete powerful antimicrobial peptides capable of neutralizing dangerous bacteria like MRSA and E. coli.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Aside from heavy metals and herbicides, Americans have also faced product recalls over listeria, salmonella and E. coli.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Join 3 others in the comments View Comments In fact, the rate of antibiotic resistance by the E. coli grown on microplastics was so high that Gross repeated the tests multiple times using different types of microplastics and combinations of antibiotics.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for E. coli
Cite this Entry
“E. coli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/E.%20coli. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: a bacterium in the shape of a short rod that may cause intestinal illness
Etymology
short for Escherichia coli, the taxonomic name in biology
Medical Definition
E. coli
nounˌē-ˈkō-ˌlī
plural E. coli also E. colis
: a straight rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli of the family Enterobacteriaceae) that is used in public health as an indicator of fecal pollution (as of water or food) and in medicine and genetics as a research organism and that occurs in various strains that may live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine or may produce a toxin causing intestinal illness marked especially by diarrhea
one million acid-resistant E. coli per gram of feces—John Schwartz
John Schwartzthis E. coli can survive … longer than all the other E. colis—Ed Geldreich
Ed GeldreichLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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