Illustration of DNA
- A molecular model
- 1 hydrogen
- 2 oxygen
- 3 carbon in the helical phosphate ester chains
- 4 carbon and nitrogen in the cross-linked purine and pyrimidine bases
- 5 phosphorus
- B double helix
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds between purine and pyrimidine bases (see base entry 1 sense 6b) which project inward from two chains containing alternate links of deoxyribose and phosphate, and that in eukaryotes are localized chiefly in cell nuclei compare recombinant dna
Examples of DNA in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The project entailed extracting environmental DNA from river water and examining it for the presence of invasive silver and bighead carp.
—
Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
The concept, however, is the same – scientists are banding together to do more innovative work on cell structure, for example, in nucleus and mitochondria DNA.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
According to the probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE in January 2023, authorities identified him after matching DNA on trash taken from Bryan's parents' home to that of the sheath of the knife used in the stabbings that was left at the crime scene.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 July 2025
For instance, the biomedicine AI start-up Arc Institute is designing a machine learning model trained on DNA of 100,000 species to identify disease-causing genome mutations and to assist new drug discovery.
—Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for DNA
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Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
The concept, however, is the same – scientists are banding together to do more innovative work on cell structure, for example, in nucleus and mitochondria DNA.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
According to the probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE in January 2023, authorities identified him after matching DNA on trash taken from Bryan's parents' home to that of the sheath of the knife used in the stabbings that was left at the crime scene.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 July 2025
For instance, the biomedicine AI start-up Arc Institute is designing a machine learning model trained on DNA of 100,000 species to identify disease-causing genome mutations and to assist new drug discovery.
—Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for DNA
Cite this Entry
“DNA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DNA. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are located especially in cell nuclei, are usually the chemical basis of heredity, and are composed of two nucleotide chains held together by hydrogen bonds in a pattern resembling a flexible twisted ladder compare rna
Medical Definition
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds between purine and pyrimidine bases which project inward from two chains containing alternate links of deoxyribose and phosphate, and that in eukaryotes are localized chiefly in cell nuclei
called also deoxyribonucleic acid
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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