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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
Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
The microbiome is the community of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea and other microbes, that live on or inside the body.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
These microbes, far down in the earth’s crust, have survived cataclysmic events over billions of years and may have helped to form the continents.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 12 Dec. 2024
Evidence increasingly shows that the bacteria and other microbes in our gut strongly influence overall health, including the development of chronic conditions.
—Christina Manian, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for microbe 
Dictionary Entries Near microbe
Cite this Entry
“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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