superbug

[ soo-per-buhg ]

/ ˈsu pərˌbʌg /

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noun Informal.

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

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Origin of superbug

First reported in 1915–20; super- + bug¹

Words nearby superbug

superbike, superblock, superbly, superbomb, Super Bowl, superbug, supercalender, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, supercapital, supercar, supercargo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use superbug in a sentence

Back at the hospital, Dad came down with a blood infection with MRSA, the horrific superbug that hangs around medical facilities.
The Long Goodbye: How COVID-19 Took My Dad’s Life|Randy Dotinga|January 11, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Our visionary scientists have found the Achilles heel of yet another enemy of the State—the Superbug!
The Fake Superbug Cure|Kent Sepkowitz|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Drug-resistant gonorrhea, the so-called sex superbug found in Hawaii, is no killer on par with AIDS, as some reports suggest.
Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea, the ‘Sex Superbug,’ Is Not Worse Than AIDS|Kent Sepkowitz|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The latest superbug, NDM-1, has a shadowy past with hospitals.
10 Surprising Facts About Superbugs|The Daily Beast|August 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST

No, but nearly one in eight of these cell phones were found to harbor MRSA, the rampant superbug found in hospitals.
10 Surprising Facts About Superbugs|The Daily Beast|August 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for superbug

superbug

/ (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