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definitions

germ warfare

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR germ warfare ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

biological warfare.

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RELATED WORDS

biowarfare

Nearby words

  1. germ line,
  2. germ membrane,
  3. germ plasm,
  4. germ theory,
  5. germ tube,
  6. germain,
  7. germain, sophie,
  8. germaine,
  9. german,
  10. german africa

Origin of germ warfare

First recorded in 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for germ warfare

germ warfare

noun

the military use of disease-spreading bacteria against an enemyAlso called: bacteriological warfare
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

Culture definitions for germ warfare

germ warfare

The use of microorganisms in war to injure or destroy humans, animals, or crops. This type of warfare is outlawed by international treaty, but facilities for developing biological weapons exist in some countries. (See bioterrorism (see also bioterrorism) and biological warfare.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.