antibiotic
any of a large group of chemical substances, as penicillin or streptomycin, produced by various microorganisms and fungi, having the capacity in dilute solutions to inhibit the growth of or to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms, used chiefly in the treatment of infectious diseases.
of or involving antibiotics.
Origin of antibiotic
1Other words from antibiotic
- an·ti·bi·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby antibiotic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use antibiotic in a sentence
These medications are a type of antimicrobial drug—a category that also includes antibiotics.
These are the best COVID-19 treatments right now | Claire Maldarelli | October 5, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThat’s why people who took antibiotics could, paradoxically, develop new infections after treatment.
When Evolution Is Infectious - Issue 90: Something Green | Moises Velasquez-Manoff | September 30, 2020 | NautilusResearchers will need to study how the short-term benefits of antibiotics stack up against potential risks, she says, but such research may also lead to therapies for pregnant women who need antibiotics.
A mother mouse’s gut microbes help wire her pup’s brain | Carolyn Wilke | September 23, 2020 | Science NewsUnlike many bacterial invaders that are thwarted by antibiotics, there aren’t many pharmaceuticals that help us beat viral infections.
All the pros—and cons—of convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 | Claire Maldarelli | September 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceHe expected the California Department of Public Health to be his advocate when he alleged Palomar Vista Healthcare Center in Escondido had failed to deliver adequate antibiotic treatments for an infection that left him at risk.
Confirmed Nursing Home Complaints Plummet During Pandemic | Jared Whitlock | August 25, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
In the future, antibiotic resistance could have catastrophic consequences.
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis | Russell Saunders | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA fair number explicitly ask for an antibiotic, to cover the possibility that it is “bronchitis” or a “sinus infection.”
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis | Russell Saunders | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA plague outbreak in Madagascar has killed 40 people so far, and due to antibiotic resistance, it could kill many more.
Bubonic Plague Is Back (but It Never Really Left) | Kent Sepkowitz | November 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe report also noted that “the inherent risks of long-term antibiotic therapy were not justified by clinical benefit.”
Predator Doctors Take Advantage of Patients With ‘Chronic Lyme’ Scam | Russell Saunders | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTReeve passed away after experiencing an adverse reaction to an antibiotic on Oct. 10, 2004.
Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve's Epic Friendship and the Greatest Williams Story Ever Told | Marlow Stern | August 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut the discovery of what substance should be added to what antibiotic was largely one of trial and error.
Bolden's Pets | F. L. WallaceI sat back while he pondered and watched the Quack, who was swallowing another antibiotic capsule.
Problem on Balak | Roger D. AycockI wondered often what could have been in that stuff to make it such a powerful antibiotic.
Jack of No Trades | Charles CottrellThe books started with the specifications for antibiotic growth equipment for colonies with problems in local bacteria.
Sand Doom | William Fitzgerald JenkinsThe administration of certain antibiotic drugs has produced cockroaches very nearly free of bacteroids.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches | Louis M. Roth
British Dictionary definitions for antibiotic
/ (ˌæntɪbaɪˈɒtɪk) /
any of various chemical substances, such as penicillin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline, produced by various microorganisms, esp fungi, or made synthetically and capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, esp bacteria
of or relating to antibiotics
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for antibiotic
[ ăn′tĭ-bī-ŏt′ĭk ]
A substance, such as penicillin, that is capable of destroying or weakening certain microorganisms, especially bacteria or fungi, that cause infections or infectious diseases. Antibiotics are usually produced by or synthesized from other microorganisms, such as molds. They inhibit pathogens by interfering with essential intracellular processes, including the synthesis of bacterial proteins. Antibiotics do not kill viruses and are not effective in treating viral infections.
Relating to antibiotics.
Relating to antibiosis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for antibiotic
[ (an-ti-beye-ot-ik, an-teye-beye-ot-ik, an-ti-bee-ot-ik) ]
A substance that destroys or inhibits the growth of microorganisms and is therefore used to treat some infections. One of the most familiar antibiotics is penicillin.
Notes for antibiotic
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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