biohazard
Americannoun
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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:
In the first days after the fire, officials raised concerns that the unrefrigerated food might become so rancid as to create a biohazard risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 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
Medinsky posted a photo on Telegram apparently showing the exchange, with individuals dressed in biohazard suits standing next to a line of white refrigerated trucks used to transport bodies.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 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
There would be a need for people trained in biohazard work.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
The ruling moved authority to judges and away from agency experts, he said, even those in highly technical fields who provide oversight on weapons of mass destruction, cybersecurity and biohazards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2024
There are biohazards, and it’s costly to create a lab that’s up to modern environmental regulations.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023
The letter called for an international meeting of the scientific community to “deal with the potential biohazards of recombinant DNA molecules.”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2023
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
Colonel David Huxsoll was an expert in biohazards, and this was the sort of situation he thought the Institute was prepared to handle.
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.
