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
C. Claiborne RayThe genes were amplified by using PCR [=polymerase chain reaction] and inserted into … a bacteriophage of E. coli.—Ricki Lewis
Ricki LewisExamples of bacteriophage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scientists already know that the human gut is packed with bacteriophages (phages) – viruses that infect bacteria – but most of this knowledge comes from metagenomics.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
To tackle this, the Monash team turned to bacteriophages — viruses that naturally infect and kill bacteria.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
How the designs were generated The team targeted bacteriophage phiX174, a minimal DNA phage with approximately 5,000 bases across 11 genes.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
By adulthood, healthy individuals host a delicate and mutually beneficial equilibrium of bacteriophages and bacteria.
—Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bacteriophage
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New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
To tackle this, the Monash team turned to bacteriophages — viruses that naturally infect and kill bacteria.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
How the designs were generated The team targeted bacteriophage phiX174, a minimal DNA phage with approximately 5,000 bases across 11 genes.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
By adulthood, healthy individuals host a delicate and mutually beneficial equilibrium of bacteriophages and bacteria.
—Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bacteriophage
Cite this Entry
“Bacteriophage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacteriophage. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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