plural phages also phage
: a virus that infects bacteria : bacteriophage
They cloned the antibody genes and inserted them into phage, a virus that infects bacteria cells.—
Teresa L. White
Teresa L. WhiteBacteriophages, also known simply as phages, came to light around 90 years ago, when two European scientists independently discovered that there are viruses that kill bacteria.—John Travis
John Travis
: virus or cell that destroys cells
bacteriophage
microphage
Examples of phage in a Sentence
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New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Now, researchers from Monash University and The Alfred have developed a breakthrough precision phage therapy that directly targets antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Moving to a 'simple' phage to something more complex such as bacteria - something that AI simply won't be able to do at this point.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The founders came to understand that dermatologists are among the top prescribers of antibiotics across the healthcare sector and that phage therapy could be a viable solution.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 4 June 2025
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Noun
The team found that artificial sweetener Stevia, as well as compounds released by our own gut cells, were the main instigators in activating these gut phages.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Now, researchers from Monash University and The Alfred have developed a breakthrough precision phage therapy that directly targets antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Moving to a 'simple' phage to something more complex such as bacteria - something that AI simply won't be able to do at this point.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The founders came to understand that dermatologists are among the top prescribers of antibiotics across the healthcare sector and that phage therapy could be a viable solution.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for phage
Cite this Entry
“Phage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phage. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phage
noun
ˈfāj 
also ˈfäzh
Medical Definition
plural phages also phage
: a virus that infects bacteria : bacteriophage
To infect a host bacterium, a phage will first interact with receptors on the host cell, adsorb and then inject its genome.—George P. C. Salmond and Peter C. Fineran, Nature Reviews Microbiology
George P. C. Salmond and Peter C. Fineran, Nature Reviews MicrobiologyPhages have various possible life cycles which, along with interaction with their physical environment, dictate their role in bacterial/archaeal biology.—Martha R. J. Clokie et al., Bacteriophage
Martha R. J. Clokie et al., BacteriophageLove words? Need even more definitions?
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