as in origin
the source from which something grows or develops
this hastily scribbled equation on a cocktail napkin became the germ of a new scientific theory
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of germ
Starr greeted me with a light fist bump, in keeping with his hypervigilance about avoiding germs.
—
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
Drinking water chlorination is a common way to disinfect water, as it gets rid of bacteria, viruses and other germs that can sicken people, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
At times, the administration has verged on advocating for exposure to dangerous germs, Murray pointed out.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
This leaves people who recover from the measles virus more vulnerable to all other germs.
—Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germ
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
Drinking water chlorination is a common way to disinfect water, as it gets rid of bacteria, viruses and other germs that can sicken people, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
At times, the administration has verged on advocating for exposure to dangerous germs, Murray pointed out.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
This leaves people who recover from the measles virus more vulnerable to all other germs.
—Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germ
Recent Examples of Synonyms for germ
Noun
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The mystery is three-dimensional: The humongous number of parameters obscuring what the model can do; the open data, internet data, on which the model is based (as opposed to in-house, clean data); and the source, the origin of the model’s development.—
Gil Press,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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These asteroids are a direct window into the building blocks of our solar system and the origins of life.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What developers would like in these scenarios is a way to find the root cause of security issues and be able to prioritize actions to remediate system health.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Like many modern calamities, the roots of the Great Flood were firmly planted in history.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Friday night’s 123-114 overtime play-in victory in Atlanta, on top of Wednesday’s impressive must-win in Chicago, has saved a sinking season and sent Miami into the NBA playoffs proper, as a No. 8 seed facing No. 1 Cleveland in Game 1 Sunday in Ohio.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Lakers enter the postseason this year as the No. 3 seed, and the team has Pelinka's fingerprints all over it.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At the beginning of last year, Del Rey shared a snippet of the ballad without any context.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
11 Apr. 2025
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At the beginning of Carrie Coon‘s time in Thailand filming this season of The White Lotus, she — along with her costars Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan — was reckoning with the idea that their plotline felt much quieter than the others.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Germ.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/germ. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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