biohazard
Americannoun
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biohazards
plural
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a pathogen, especially one used in or produced by biological research.
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the health risk posed by the possible release of such a pathogen into the environment.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of biohazard
Explanation
A biohazard is a biological substance that's dangerous to people or the environment. Many biohazards are made of bacteria or other microorganisms. Some biohazards are an unintentional side effect of biologists working with or studying toxins or viruses. One common type of biohazard is medical waste — things like used syringes or other tools contaminated with human blood, bacteria, or other microorganisms. The word biohazard was first used around 1973, from the Greek bio-, "life," and hazard, from the Old French hasard, "game of chance."
Vocabulary lists containing biohazard
Words to Live By: Bio
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bio
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: bio
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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:
The potential biohazard posed by millions of pounds of spoiling food is a concern, Kleinman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Nurses and doctors wore biohazard suits and three layers of medical gloves when they entered his room, swabbing him for virus up his nostrils and in other sites like his eyelids twice a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
It is currently unclear whether the vials have been used, which would make them a biohazard.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
In August there were 23 mostly minor assault reports, consistent with other months, but guards led to more biohazard and misconduct events reported, said Wright.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
The freezers were fitted with padlocks and alarms and were plastered with biohazard flowers and sealed with bands of sticky tape.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Police said Thursday the rental home would be cleared of “potential biohazards and other harmful substances” to collect evidence starting Friday morning.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
But science tells us that while young children may benefit from playing in the mud, for instance, the opposite is true of exposing them to lethal pathogens and other biohazards.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022
Feces, needles, bloody rags and other biohazards contribute to health concerns.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
Aftermath Services, based in Illinois, generally cleans up crime scenes and biohazards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2020
It is for use in fieldwork with extreme biohazards that are believed to be airborne.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
