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mutate
[myoo-teyt]
verb (used with object)
to change; alter.
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.
Phonetics.to change by umlaut.
verb (used without object)
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.
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
/ mjuːˈteɪtɪv, ˈmjuːtətɪv, mjuːˈteɪt /
verb
to undergo or cause to undergo mutation
Other Word Forms
- mutative adjective
- nonmutative adjective
- unmutated adjective
- unmutative adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of mutate1
Example Sentences
If there's one thing viruses are good at, it's mutating into new forms that can evade our immunity, whether that's from vaccines or past infections.
"They explained that every gene has two copies and with this particular gene I carry one mutated copy and Nick carries another mutated copy," said Amanda.
Each human and mammalian infection gives the virus an opportunity to mutate and evolve better ways of transmitting from person to person — a key benchmark for what makes a pathogen a pandemic-level threat.
Göransson absorbed his dad’s passions and mutated them into a personal obsession with Metallica, an electric descendant of the blues, in the process becoming a guitar player proficient in everything from thrash metal to jazz.
Rasmussen said the worry now is that if H5N1 mutates to become transmissible between people, it’ll be young children as well as the old and compromised who are likely to be most affected.
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