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 milk is then cooled to 108 F, and the starter cultures of bacteria are added.
    — Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 5 June 2025
  • The Dunaliella dies and the archaea and bacteria take over.
    — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2022
  • From the results of the study, amassing PFAS did not seem to hinder the growth of bacteria.
    — Jay Kakade july 12, New Atlas, 12 July 2025
  • Sequencing done in the UK shows there has been no abrupt change in the bacteria.
    — Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2022
  • If the cause is bacteria, your sore throat should clear up within three to 10 days.
    — Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 12 May 2025
  • The group plans to study the same technique against other bacteria next.
    — Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • The only caveat is if bacteria get trapped in the skin while peeing.
    — Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 26 Nov. 2024
  • The balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut dictates a great deal about your health.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021
  • 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
  • Heavy rain also caused a spike in bacteria during the Olympics, causing the triathlon to be postponed a day.
    — Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 7 July 2025
  • 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
  • Steam cleaning fabric surfaces kills dust mites and bacteria.
    — Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2025
  • Scientists have also found that female bodies have more robust B cell activity — the action of white blood cells that adapt to fight off viruses or bacteria.
    — Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 7 July 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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