microbe

[mahy-krohb]

noun

1. a microorganism, especially a pathogenic bacterium.

microbe

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊb /

noun

1. any microscopic organism, esp a disease-causing bacterium

microbe

1. A microorganism, especially a bacterium that causes disease.

2. See Note at germ

Other Word Forms

• microbial adjective
• microbeless adjective
• microbic adjective
• microbian adjective
• nonmicrobic adjective
• unmicrobial adjective
• unmicrobic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of microbe¹

1880–85; < French < Greek mīkro- micro- + bíos life

Word History and Origins

Origin of microbe¹

C19: from French, from _micro- + Greek bios life

Example Sentences

Some nasties, including dioxins, can be broken down by fungi and microbes.

From Los Angeles Times

More than a million people a year are already dying from infections caused by microbes that are resistant to treatment – it's known as the "silent pandemic".

From BBC

There weren’t vehicles to divert, underground creeks that required stabilization, majestic oaks that had to be saved or soils that required inoculation with local microbes.

From Los Angeles Times

Our early encounters with microbes are thought to be crucial in how our immune system develops.

From BBC

These are tiny cyborgs, though even tinier ones exist, involving microbes like bacteria or even a type of white blood cell.

From Salon

Related Words

• bacillus 
• bacterium 
• bug 
• germ 
• microorganism 
• pathogen 
• virus