microbe vs germ

microbe and germ both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
microbe	Yes	No	No	No
germ	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, microbe and germ are synonyms defined as:

microbe and germ: a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use

Other synonyms of microbe include bug.

microbe (noun)	germ (noun)
a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use	a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use
	a small apparently simple structure (as a fertilized egg) from which new tissue can develop into a complete organism
	anything that provides inspiration for later work