biohazard
Americannoun
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a pathogen, especially one used in or produced by biological research.
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the health risk posed by the possible release of such a pathogen into the environment.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of biohazard
Explanation
A biohazard is a biological substance that's dangerous to people or the environment. Many biohazards are made of bacteria or other microorganisms. Some biohazards are an unintentional side effect of biologists working with or studying toxins or viruses. One common type of biohazard is medical waste — things like used syringes or other tools contaminated with human blood, bacteria, or other microorganisms. The word biohazard was first used around 1973, from the Greek bio-, "life," and hazard, from the Old French hasard, "game of chance."
Vocabulary lists containing biohazard
Words to Live By: Bio
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bio
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: bio
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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.
Nurses and doctors wore biohazard suits and three layers of medical gloves when they entered his room, swabbing him for virus up his nostrils and in other sites like his eyelids twice a day.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
It is currently unclear whether the vials have been used, which would make them a biohazard.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
But my green thumb ached as workers sawed down the tree, took away everything — trunk, twigs, leaves, fruit, roots — in biohazard bags and tagged the remaining trees with a bill of clean health.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024
In August there were 23 mostly minor assault reports, consistent with other months, but guards led to more biohazard and misconduct events reported, said Wright.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2023
Johnson took the monkey’s feet, and together they carried him over to a hatbox, a biohazard container, and they slid the monkey into it.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
