Meaning & use

bacteria

noun·Academic

Microscopic single-celled organisms that exist in vast numbers in nearly every environment.

See it in a sentence

Doctors prescribed antibiotics to fight the bacteria causing her infection.

Some bacteria in the gut actually help the body digest food properly.

A note on using this word

Bacteria is technically the plural of bacterium; careful writing uses 'bacteria are,' not 'bacteria is.'

Words with a similar meaning

microbesgerms

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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