variants
or less commonly Petri dish
plural petri dishes also Petri dishes
1
: a small shallow usually round dish of thin glass or plastic with a loose cover used especially for growing cells or microorganisms on a supportive medium (such as agar combined with nutrients)
… the protein extracted from human cancer cells could stimulate the growth of blood vessels in experiments with chicken embryos and tumor cells growing in petri dishes.—
Tina Hesman
Tina HesmanUnfortunately, most laboratories can diagnose tuberculosis with certainty, or exclude it, only by placing sputum in a petri dish and waiting to see if the bacterium grows …—The New York Times
The New York Times… they found that the compound, sulforaphane, fights cancer in petri dishes.—Doug Levy
Doug Levy2
: something (such as a place or situation) that fosters development
Of course being there for your team tends to contaminate your team. Our radio studio is currently a petri dish of disease.—Matt Heath
Matt Heath"We view universities as a community's most promising petri dish for innovation," said Abby Taubner …—Alex Wittenberg
Alex WittenbergMTV's The Real World, which sends seven attractive young strangers to spend six months turning their luxury housing into a Petri dish of sexual, racial, and interpersonal tension, has been running since 1992.—Francine Prose
Francine ProseExamples of petri dish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The author puts her abiding preoccupations — with conformity, sexuality and family — in a petri dish and incubates a disquieting dystopia in which artificial insemination has become the global norm.
—Madeleine Feeny, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Your healthcare provider will use a thin needle with ultrasound guidance to locate and remove the eggs from the ovaries.
Insemination and fertilization: The provider places the eggs and sperm together in a petri dish in the lab.
—Khadeja Haye, Verywell Health, 26 Feb. 2025
These claims don’t have to be supported with any evidence in humans, animals, or petri dishes.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025
Another issue cruise lines have faced is last month reports surfaced that cruise giant Royal Caribbean almost failed a Center for Disease Control inspection, which highlights the health concerns that can quickly turn paradise into a petri dish.
—Kevin Williams, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petri dish
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Madeleine Feeny, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Your healthcare provider will use a thin needle with ultrasound guidance to locate and remove the eggs from the ovaries.
Insemination and fertilization: The provider places the eggs and sperm together in a petri dish in the lab.
—Khadeja Haye, Verywell Health, 26 Feb. 2025
These claims don’t have to be supported with any evidence in humans, animals, or petri dishes.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025
Another issue cruise lines have faced is last month reports surfaced that cruise giant Royal Caribbean almost failed a Center for Disease Control inspection, which highlights the health concerns that can quickly turn paradise into a petri dish.
—Kevin Williams, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petri dish
Cite this Entry
“Petri dish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petri%20dish. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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