microbe

American  

[mahy-krohb] / ˈmaɪ kroʊb /

noun

• microbes
  plural

1. 

   a microorganism, especially a pathogenic bacterium.

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microbe British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊb /

noun

1. any microscopic organism, esp a disease-causing bacterium

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microbe Scientific  

/ mī′krōb′ /

1. A microorganism, especially a bacterium that causes disease.

2. See Note at germ

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• microbeless
  adjective
• microbial
  adjective
• microbian
  adjective
• microbic
  adjective
• nonmicrobic
  adjective
• unmicrobial
  adjective
• unmicrobic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• microbes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of microbe

1880–85; < French < Greek mīkro- micro- + bíos life

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Explanation

Microbe is a somewhat outdated way for scientists to talk about the tiny bugs that cause diseases. When you get the flu, you can blame a microbe. In the nineteenth century, the idea that germs caused illness was brand new, and doctors referred to both germs and microbes interchangeably. The word microorganism is more scientifically precise, and in fact microbe is a shortened form of that long, Greek-rooted word. Mikro means "small," and in microbe it's combined with bios, or "life."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microbe microbes

"But something we have learned over the years is that a microbe doesn't have to be abundant to have an impact on the host."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

They managed to "tame" the microbe in the laboratory and make it fix N2 at temperatures above 90 °C.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Like any pandemic, the Black Death was simultaneously a biological and a social event—shaped by both the innate characteristics of a microbe and such all-too-human factors as political systems, religious beliefs and public-health responses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Scientists believe additional gene microbe links likely exist, but proving them is difficult because genetic and environmental factors overlap in everyday life.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 23, 2025

For a microbe, spread may be defined mathematically as the number of new victims infected per each original patient.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

For microorganisms to make a meaningful difference in reducing plastic pollution, more plastic products would need to be made from biodegradable materials that contain chemical bonds microbes can break apart.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The pink comes from microbes thriving in extremely salty water after the area was cut off from fresh water.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

These compounds are produced when microbes in the colon break down fiber and other food components that pass through the upper digestive tract without being absorbed.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

"DAMM gives us a powerful new way to quantify how those microbial partners contribute to human health and energy balance, and also point at the importance of properly feeding our gut microbes."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The importance of lethal microbes in human history is well illustrated by Europeans’ conquest and depopulation of the New World.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

• bacillus
• bacterium
• bug
• germ
• microorganism
• pathogen
• virus

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