biowarfare

noun

bio·​war·​fare ˌbī-ō-ˈwȯr-ˌfer How to pronounce biowarfare (audio)
: biological warfare

Examples of biowarfare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These are core military functions, particularly in terms of biowarfare and biodefense. — James Stavridis, Time, 23 Mar. 2020 But even more than the treaty, biowarfare has been held back by the fact that biological weapons have been difficult to develop, deploy, and — should they be used — control. — Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 In the United States, meanwhile, a China expert suggested that the virus was linked to China’s biowarfare program. — Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2020 Some conspiracy theories even alleged that the global humanitarian programs were a cover for biowarfare research or that USAID’s funding enriched a few elites who control the world, but those claims were outside the mainstream. — Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2025 Researchers determined that the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged from horseshoe bats rather than a biowarfare lab, and generally agreed that pangolins, rather than snakes, were the likely intermediary carriers, although some support was voiced for turtles. — Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biowarfare was in 1951

Rhymes for biowarfare

See All Rhymes for biowarfare

Browse Nearby Words

biotypology
biowarfare
biowaste
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Biowarfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biowarfare. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

biowarfare

noun
bio·​war·​fare
ˌbī-ō-ˈwȯr-ˌfer
: biological warfare
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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