mutate

American  

[myoo-teyt] / ˈmyu teɪt /

verb (used with object)

mutated, mutating

1. to change; alter.

2. Biology. to cause (a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics.

   The disease mutates the retina’s rod cells, and they slowly stop working.

3. Phonetics. to change by umlaut.

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verb (used without object)

mutated, mutating

1. to undergo change.

   It was a gamble to mutate from hard rock frontman to big band crooner, but he went seriously retro and won that bet in a huge way.

2. Biology. (of a gene, cell, etc.) to undergo an alteration of one or more characteristics.

   Drug-resistant cells mutate more quickly and could migrate into surrounding tissue.

mutate British  

/ mjuːˈteɪtɪv, ˈmjuːtətɪv, mjuːˈteɪt /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo mutation

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Other Word Forms

• mutative adjective
• nonmutative adjective
• unmutated adjective
• unmutative adjective

Etymology

Origin of mutate

First recorded in 1810–20; from Latin mūtātus, past participle of mūtare “to change”; -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Genes can be expressed or activated, or not—more often they’re not; they mutate and can alter their own function and be altered by environmental forces.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

Most efforts to create broader vaccines have aimed to protect against an entire viral family, such as all coronaviruses or all influenza strains, by targeting viral components that mutate less frequently.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

This gave H3N2 another chance to mutate, which is natural for viruses, and so it did.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2026

The concern for public health experts has been that, as the virus passes between animals, it could mutate in a way that would allow it to move easily from human to human.

From Barron's • Oct. 28, 2025

The problem is that in response to antibiotics, bacteria can mutate or change.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• alter
• modify