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CPS HSAT Vocabulary · Tier 3

bacteria

noun

Definition

single-celled microorganisms

In a sentence

Some bacteria help digestion; others cause illness.

Similar words

  • microbes
  • germs

Why this word matters: bacteria appears in academic reading at the 8th-grade level and is exactly the type of word that shows up on the CPS HSAT Reading section. Practice it in context with our spaced-repetition system at vocabulary.