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biological warfare
noun
: warfare involving the use of biological weapons
also
: warfare involving the use of herbicides
Examples of biological warfare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Similarly, breakthroughs in biosciences can save lives on the battlefield but also heighten the risk of biological warfare.
—Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2024
Doing synthetic biology right Say North Korea, or a terrorist group, wants to dabble in biological warfare.
—Kelsey Piper, Vox, 10 May 2024
Theories abound regarding the depictions of various macabre doomsday scenarios and allusions to biological warfare.
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
That revelation, in turn, suggested that the couple had engaged in several violations of security rules at the laboratory, portions of which are designed for work on the world’s most lethal microbes, including ones that could be used for biological warfare.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for biological warfare
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biological warfare.' 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
1921, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of biological warfare was
in 1921
Dictionary Entries Near biological warfare
Cite this Entry
“Biological warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biological%20warfare. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
biological warfare
noun
: warfare involving the use of biological weapons
Medical Definition
biological warfare
noun
biological war·fare
-ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r, -ˌfe(ə)r
: warfare involving the use of biological weapons
also
: warfare involving the use of herbicides
More from Merriam-Webster on biological warfare
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about biological warfare
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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