bacteriophage

noun

bac·te·ri·o·phage bak-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌfāj

also

-ˌfäzh

plural bacteriophages

: a virus that infects bacteria : phage

Much smaller than the bacteria they attack, bacteriophages cannot grow and multiply on their own.—C. Claiborne Ray

The genes were amplified by using PCR [=polymerase chain reaction] and inserted into … a bacteriophage of E. coli.—Ricki Lewis

bacteriophagy

(ˌ)bak-ˌtir-ē-ˈä-fə-jē

noun

Examples of bacteriophage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The researchers used their Evo 2 foundation model, which was trained on a dataset that included more than 2 million bacteriophage genomes. — Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Aug. 2026 Indeed, the authors of the new bacteriophage study call for more effective biosecurity approaches in their paper. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026 The new viruses are bacteriophages, which infect bacteria but cannot affect humans. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 One promising direction is bacteriophage therapy, which uses viruses that specifically infect and kill harmful bacteria. — André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bacteriophage

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of bacteriophage was in 1917

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Style

“Bacteriophage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacteriophage. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bacteriophage

noun

bac·te·rio·phage

bak-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌfāj,

-ˌfāzh

: any of various viruses that specifically attack bacteria

Medical Definition

bacteriophage

noun

bac·te·ri·o·phage bak-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌfāj -ˌfäzh

: a virus that infects bacteria : phage

Bacteriophages invade bacterial cells and burst them open before they have a chance to produce lactic acid.—Diana Morgan and Terence Monmaney, Science

bacteriophagy

(ˌ)bak-ˌtir-ē-ˈäf-ə-jē

noun

bacteriophage

noun

Examples of bacteriophage in a Sentence

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bacteriophage

noun

Examples of bacteriophage in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for bacteriophage

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on bacteriophage

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