How to Use bacteria in a Sentence

bacteria

noun
  • The landmark system removed 95% of the bacteria from the city’s sewage and 90% of the solids.
    — Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
  • The Dunaliella dies and the archaea and bacteria take over.
    — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2022
  • Sequencing done in the UK shows there has been no abrupt change in the bacteria.
    — Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2022
  • The only caveat is if bacteria get trapped in the skin while peeing.
    — Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Gros said the bacteria are not abundant in the mangroves.
    — Sumeet Kulkarni, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2022
  • White blood cells called macrophages rush to the area to destroy any bacteria that got past the clot and oversee the repair process.
    — Dr. Michael Daignault, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2022
  • Many of the bacteria died from this treatment, and the researchers sequenced the genomes of those which survived.
    — James Somers, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2022
  • These are a group of viruses that are known to infect bacteria.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Stains and bacteria have met their match in Shark's now-$70 Steam Pocket Mop.
    — Wendy Vazquez, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2023
  • The plates showed that the amount of division in spaces has an impact on what type of bacteria tend to thrive the most.
    — Angie Orellana Hernandez, CNN, 17 Mar. 2022
  • The only way to confirm is to take a culture of the pus to find out whether there are bacteria inside.
    — Fatima Fahs, SELF, 29 Apr. 2022
  • The powerful steam will wipe away 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Just be sure to clean your eyelash curler after each use to rid of any bacteria.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2022
  • This allows for quick drying of the brush to deter odors and bacteria.
    — Jodhaira Rodriguez, Good Housekeeping, 24 May 2022
  • The main types present in dairy are: Lactic acid bacteria: These friendly microbes are the workhorses of the dairy world.
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 12 Feb. 2024
  • The tooth decay that leads to cavities occurs when the bacteria in your mouth form a sticky plaque on your teeth.
    — Tammy Davenport, Verywell Health, 28 May 2024
  • Some boiled it first over open flames; others left glass jars in the sun, hoping that the summer heat would kill bacteria.
    — Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022
  • This later crop is a legume that with the help of soil bacteria removes nitrogen from the air for plant growth.
    — Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
  • And the reason sours are some of the most ancient beers in the brewer’s compendium comes down to what most beer comes down to: bacteria.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022
  • The bacteria spores are harmful to many types of caterpillars.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2023
  • At first, doctors didn’t believe that bacteria could live in the stomach at all.
    — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2023
  • And yet, all the while, humble bacteria in the dirt are fixing nitrogen all day long.
    — Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024
  • Most bacteria are microscopic, but this one is so big it can be seen with the naked eye.
    — Christina Larson, ajc, 23 June 2022
  • Many, but not all the S. sanguinis bacteria contained RNA that was part of these obelisks.
    — Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
  • For one, lettuce is consumed raw, so there's no heat to kill bacteria.
    — Aria Bendix, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2022
  • The extreme rain events and very warm periods this year have favored the bacteria.
    — Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2023
  • The downfall is it's made of plastic, which can harbor bacteria and lead to cat acne.
    — Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Xbox came in cleaner, but also failed the toilet seat test, with half as many bacteria.
    — Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2022
  • Doctors told her that vaping allowed bacteria to build up in her lungs.
    — Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • According to a study by Amerisleep, the list of undesirables includes bacteria, body fluids, dead skin cells and dust mites, all of which can harm your health, not to mention your peace of mind.
    — Terry Baddoo, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bacteria.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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