anaerobe

American

[an-uh-rohb, an-air-ohb] / ˈæn əˌroʊb, ænˈɛər oʊb /

noun

an organism, especially a bacterium, that does not require air or free oxygen to live (opposed to aerobe).

anaerobe British

/ æˈnɛərəʊb, ˌænɛəˈrəʊbɪəm, ˈænərəʊb /

noun

an organism that does not require oxygen for respiration Compare aerobe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

anaerobe Scientific

/ ăn′ə-rōb′ /

An organism, such as a bacterium, that can or must live in the absence of oxygen.
Compare aerobe

Etymology

Origin of anaerobe

First recorded in 1875–80; an- ¹ + aerobe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

anaerobe

"Bifidobacterium is an obligate anaerobe, so it doesn't grow in the presence of oxygen," Mimee said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

Did the methanogenic bacteria species also evolve as a strict anaerobe?

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Yesterday I found that anaerobe cultures were being received by some one in the Belleclaire, and—" "They were stolen from me.

From The Treasure-Train by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023