bacteria
noun
bac·te·ria
| \ bak-ˈtir-ē-ə
\
\
plural bacteria
also bacterias
Definition of bacteria
: bacterium
—not usually used technically
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Examples of bacteria in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The lure emits a glow, produced by bacteria living within, that attracts prey. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Why the Anglerfish Continues To Haunt Our Dreams," 30 July 2019 Necrotizing fasciitis is caused by bacteria that stops blood circulation, prompting tissue to die and skin to decay. — Justine Griffin, sun-sentinel.com, "Why is flesh-eating bacteria on the rise? Some point to climate change," 26 July 2019 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,600 people are infected by the bacteria species yearly, and about 260 die. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Listeria found on leafy greens at major grocery stores including Costco, Whole Foods," 26 July 2019 Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating infection caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "Genevieve Gorder On Living With Lyme Disease and Hashimoto's: 'If I Didn't Rest I Would Break'," 16 July 2019 However, those symptoms also can be caused by many other problems, such as fungal diseases, winter injury and other blights caused by bacteria. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "Sudden oak death pathogen found in Illinois, but don’t panic yet," 8 July 2019 Carey said in the post that doctors initially misdiagnosed the condition before determining it was caused by the Vibrio bacteria. — Lillian Reed, baltimoresun.com, "A mom said her son was infected with Vibrio bacteria in Ocean City. Here's how to avoid the same fate.," 5 July 2019 Necrotizing fasciitis is a skin infection caused by rare bacteria that enters the body through a break in the skin. — NBC News, "What to know about flesh-eating bacteria infections," 1 July 2019 No illnesses have been reported yet, but listeria bacteria can cause serious illness and sometimes fatal infections in children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system, according to the FDA. — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, "Sandwiches and salads sold at Target, Fresh Market recalled over Listeria concerns," 20 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bacteria.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bacteria
bacteria
Medical Definition of bacteria
(Entry 1 of 2)
plural of bacterium
bacteria
noun
bac·te·ria
| \ bak-ˈtir-ē-ə
\
\
Medical Definition of bacteria (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: bacterium
—not usually used technically
caused by a bacteria borne by certain tiny ticks — Wall Street Journal a single bacteria—there are roughly 200 in each cough—apparently can infect a person— Cheryl Clark
2
plural
capitalized
: a domain in the system of classification dividing all organisms into three major domains of life that includes the prokaryotes that are bacteria but not those that are archaebacteria or archaea — compare eubacteria
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