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superbug

American

[soo-per-buhg] / ˈsu pərˌbʌg /

noun

Informal.

a pathogenic bacterium that has developed immunity to antibiotics, or an insect that has developed immunity to insecticides.

superbug British

/ ˈsuːpəˌbʌɡ /

noun

informal an infective microorganism that has become resistant to antibiotics

"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

Etymology

Origin of superbug

First reported in 1915–20; super- ( def. ) + bug ¹ ( def. )

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.

UK doctors are attempting to clear dangerous superbug infections using "poo pills" containing freeze-dried faeces.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025

Patterson should have died from a nasty superbug picked up in Egypt in 2015 — except Patterson is married to bullheaded epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2024

Despite the mounting toll — and the prospect of an eventual surge in superbug fatalities — the development of new antibiotics has stagnated.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2024

In the latest paper, Huang announced several discoveries that will help the development of a carbohydrate-based vaccine for infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and its "superbug" relative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

Only by combining antibiotics with a new, experimental treatment did doctors finally rid her of the superbug.

From Scientific American • Oct. 13, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023