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.

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bioweapon British  

/ ˈbaɪəʊˌwɛpən /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bioweaponry
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• bioweapons
  plural

Example Sentences

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

Every “Alien” movie is a cautionary story about scientific hubris, with humans racing to harness the xenomorph’s potential as a bioweapon.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025

Mr. Amodei, whose firm delves into AI safety and research, said AI systems appear two to three years away from filling in the gaps of bioweapon knowledge.

From Washington Times • Jul. 26, 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