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
Recent Examples on the WebTribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 May 2024
Life Phage: The most abundant life form on Earth has a unique license to kill
Researchers estimate there may be as many as ten million trillion trillion phages on Earth — that’s 10 with 30 zeros after it.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
These are former phages that have been domesticated by bacteria so they can be used to harm the bacteria's potential competition.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 June 2024
Once phages are isolated, a predictive algorithm simulates interactions between millions of phages and pathogens to understand which can eat which.
—Cecilia.butini, Vox, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for phage 
Noun
As cepacia overwhelmed Mallory’s system in the weeks after her transplant, her family secured an experimental dose of phage therapy.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 May 2024
Life Phage: The most abundant life form on Earth has a unique license to kill
Researchers estimate there may be as many as ten million trillion trillion phages on Earth — that’s 10 with 30 zeros after it.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
These are former phages that have been domesticated by bacteria so they can be used to harm the bacteria's potential competition.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 June 2024
Once phages are isolated, a predictive algorithm simulates interactions between millions of phages and pathogens to understand which can eat which.
—Cecilia.butini, Vox, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for phage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near phage
Cite this Entry
“Phage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phage. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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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