plural germs
1
a
: a small mass of living substance capable of developing into an organism or one of its parts
b
: the embryo with the scutellum of a cereal grain that is usually separated from the starchy endosperm during milling
3
: a microorganism causing disease : a pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus)
broadly
: microorganism
Examples of germ in a Sentence
the germ that causes tuberculosis
the germ of an idea
the germ layers of an embryo
Recent Examples on the Web
Linus Pauling: Fallout, radioactive fallout, causes damage to the pool of human germ plasm, in that will result–that does result–in the birth of an additional number of defective children.
—
Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
Walking barefoot or in socks to the restroom is unhygienic and often regretted due to potential exposure to germs.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 17 June 2025
Post-exposure prophylaxis is offering someone a drug or vaccine after they are exposed to a germ, to reduce the chance they will be infected or develop severe disease.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 17 June 2025
Antibodies mark and bind to foreign substances (such as germs) for destruction, whereas cytokines serve as messengers, informing and signaling the immune system to launch an attack against germs.
—Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for germ
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Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
Walking barefoot or in socks to the restroom is unhygienic and often regretted due to potential exposure to germs.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 17 June 2025
Post-exposure prophylaxis is offering someone a drug or vaccine after they are exposed to a germ, to reduce the chance they will be infected or develop severe disease.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 17 June 2025
Antibodies mark and bind to foreign substances (such as germs) for destruction, whereas cytokines serve as messengers, informing and signaling the immune system to launch an attack against germs.
—Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for germ
Cite this Entry
“Germ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germ. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
germ
noun1
a
: a small mass of living substance capable of developing into a whole individual or one of its parts
b
: the embryo in the seed of a cereal (as corn or wheat) together with its cotyledon that is usually separated from the starchy part of the seed during milling
2
: something that serves as an origin
the germ of an idea
3
: a microscopic living thing
especially
: one that causes disease
Medical Definition
germ
noun1
: a small mass of living substance capable of developing into an organism or one of its parts
2
: a microorganism causing disease : a pathogenic agent (as a bacterium or virus)
broadly
: microorganism
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