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.

The new findings continue The Lancet's 2024 series on antibiotic-resistant illnesses, in which the publication has continued to advocate for several global targets to help toward a larger 10% reduction in superbug mortality by 2030.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2024

“That’s the same with antibiotics. If you go into hospital and you get a superbug, you need an antibiotic that is there on the shelf.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2024

The formula for a new antibiotic that killed a previously lethal hospital superbug was invented by an AI tool.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2024

Writing in the journal Microbiology, the study's authors say susceptible people working and being treated in clinical settings might be unknowingly placed at risk of contracting the superbug.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2023

Either way, the "superbug" refused to be vanquished, despite years of antibiotic treatment.

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