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bioweapon

American  
[bahy-oh-wep-uhn] / ˈbaɪ oʊˌwɛp ən /

noun

  • bioweapons
    plural
  1. a weapon that uses a pathogen, toxin, or other biological material; a weapon used in biological warfare.


bioweapon British  
/ ˈbaɪəʊˌwɛpən /

noun

  1. a living organism or a toxic product manufactured from it, used to kill or incapacitate

"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

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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:

Cole, on his podcast and social media, has discussed the theory that ticks carrying Lyme disease were used by the U.S. in bioweapon research during the Cold War.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

These had been developed and stockpiled in the US and Europe, mostly in preparation for a potential bioweapon attack using a poxvirus.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024

Congress is looking at ways to curb AI dangers including examining political destabilization and bioweapon production.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

The social network’s owner on Monday hosted Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, who pushed baseless claims such as the coronavirus being a bioweapon.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

An expert group last week recommended broadening rules that require universities and funding agencies to determine whether proposed studies count as dual-use research—work that carries the risk of intentionally or accidentally creating a bioweapon.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 30, 2023

The technology could transform coding and financial work and potentially lead to scientific breakthroughs, but it could also enable bioweapons and “destabilize the geopolitical order,” according to the company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The nuclear competition is still there, but add artificial intelligence, cyber, drones and bioweapons to nuclear weapons and missiles and we are in a qualitatively different and more difficult place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Concern stems from recent reports that Anthropic blocked use of AI tools to develop bioweapons and that swarms of AI bots autonomously undertook massive hacking operations.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Anthropic says it blocked possible attempts to use artificial intelligence to develop bioweapons.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

When a user touches on sensitive topics like bioweapons and cybersecurity, Fable pops up a notification and then redirects the conversation to an earlier, less capable model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

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