bacteria
bacteria — noun
1. extremely small living things, made of just one cell, that live almost everywher
extremely small living things, made of just one cell, that live almost everywhere — in soil, water, food, and inside the bodies of people and animals; some kinds cause illness while others are useful, for example for making yogurt or breaking down waste.
Dr. Lin warned the students that bacteria can multiply quickly inside warm chicken soup.
subject of plural verb: bacteria + multiply
Mira scrubbed her hands with soap to wash away any bacteria from the raw fish.
collocation: wash away / kill bacteria
Some bacteria in the human gut help us digest food and protect us from disease.
Nadia left the milk on the kitchen counter overnight, and harmful bacteria began to grow.
The factory uses special bacteria to break down the waste water before it returns to the river.
- germs
informal everyday word, often suggests something that causes illness
- microbes
broader term covering bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microscopic life
- microorganisms
formal scientific term for any tiny living thing seen only under a microscope
文法句型
bacteria + plural verb
type/kind of bacteria
用法筆記
Strictly the plural of bacterium and almost always takes a plural verb (bacteria are, bacteria cause). The singular bacterium is rare in everyday English; in casual speech learners may also hear bacteria used as a mass noun (a lot of bacteria), but bacterias is not standard.