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

Next he turned to AlphaFold, a scientific AI model that won 2024's chemistry Nobel, to better understand one of the mutated doggy genes.

From Barron's

Kluh said it appeared that they may have mutated in a way that allows them to stay active through the winter.

From Los Angeles Times

It appears Spider-Man’s DNA could be mutating, as he has gained the ability to produce organic webs, which could be alarming.

From Los Angeles Times

Further analysis of the bacterial genetic code will reveal if it has mutated in a meaningful way.

From BBC

When the gene p53, a well known tumor suppressor, is mutated, that rate nearly doubles.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• alter
• modify