How to Use germ theory in a Sentence

germ theory

noun
  • This idea—germ theory—wasn’t new, but no one had ever proven it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Scientists had yet to discover germ theory, so no one knew what a virus was.
    — Hannah Seo, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022
  • People didn't really know about germ theory in those days.
    — Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Tetanus and gangrene were serious threats as germ theory was only in its infant stages.
    — Katie Nodjimbadem, Smithsonian, 4 Apr. 2017
  • The framework dates back to the embrace of germ theory in the late 19th century.
    — Meghan O'Rourke, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2021
  • This explanation for the source of cholera became one of the foundations of germ theory.
    — Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020
  • But germ theory did not immediately do away with the importance of fresh air.
    — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2021
  • The key drivers of this era were the steam engine, germ theory, electricity, and railroads.
    — Kevin Drum, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018
  • With the development of germ theory, sunlight and fresh air had new purposes.
    — Jeanne Kisacky, Smithsonian, 14 June 2017
  • Pasteur’s work proved that germ theory was true, and that disease was the result of microorganisms attacking.
    — Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2021
  • His suggestion of a pathogen without a cell conflicted with early germ theory and was radical for the time.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2020
  • Or that Louis Pasteur, the chemist who proved the germ theory of disease, also busted the myth of life on Mars?
    — Annalee Newitz, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Garfield was shot before germ theory was widely accepted by doctors, who did not wash their hands or sanitize medical tools.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
  • At the time, however, germ theory was still in its infancy, and doctors did not yet have antibiotics at their disposal.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Feb. 2024
  • More significantly, these were the first pandemics to coincide with the germ theory of disease.
    — New York Times, 14 June 2019
  • The emergence of formula, along with an understanding of germ theory, made feeding such infants simpler and safer.
    — Alice Callahan, Smithsonian, 25 Oct. 2019
  • Who’s to say the same pseudo-arguments won’t apply to life-saving cancer treatments, or to anesthesia, or to germ theory?
    — Noubar Afeyan, Time, 9 Mar. 2026
  • But preventing and treating disease by co-opting the very microbes that threaten us has a history that long predates germ theory.
    — Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
  • This viewpoint fell by the wayside after germ theory became mainstream in the late 19th century.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2020
  • This debate reminds me somewhat of the historical argument over the germ theory of disease.
    — Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2017
  • Initially, this had its own dire impact on mortality rates because surgeons did not yet understand germ theory.
    — Lindsey Fitzharris, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022
  • This is right at the beginning of his development of antisepsis, and a lot of surgeons aren’t accepting germ theory at this point.
    — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2017
  • At that point, new microscopy technology and the germ theory of disease had revolutionized medicine.
    — Hillary Waterman, Discover Magazine, 1 Sep. 2016
  • Still, Kennedy disparages germ theory and attempts to undermine it with shaky arguments.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The fact that Mills survived his battlefield wounds in an era before germ theory is matched by the miracle that the shirt survived the next century and a half.
    — Star Tribune, 3 July 2021
  • The germ theory of disease did not lead immediately to antibiotics, either.
    — Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2011
  • Once germ theory was understood, scientists started making vaccines in the lab for diseases such as diphtheria and polio.
    — Anna Rothschild, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2019
  • These advances transformed science and led, amongst other things, to germ theory and microbiology.
    — Doug Main, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2018
  • The move ended the outbreak, and the investigation became one of the earliest studies to support the germ theory of disease.
    — Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, 8 Aug. 2021
  • Snow’s realization came years before the confirmation of germ theory, which explains the existence of pathogens.
    — Robin Marantz Henig, National Geographic, 13 Oct. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germ theory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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