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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
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
This microbe testing is in fact required by law, but there’s no one forcing brands to actually do it.
—Deanna Pai, Allure, 18 Oct. 2024
Now, scientists from Caltech have calculated a potential habitable zone for subterranean microbes on Mars.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024
This finding boosts hopes that microbes might someday help remove these notoriously pervasive pollutants from the environment.
—Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for microbe 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microbe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near microbe
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“Microbe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microbe. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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microbe
noun
Medical Definition
microbe
noun
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