plural genes
: a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and especially a protein or controlling the function of other genetic material
Examples of gene in a Sentence
She inherited a good set of genes from her parents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Investigating ways to reverse cellular damage and restore normal function, the researchers examined a gene that produces aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1A1), an enzyme involved in breaking down aldehydes.
—
Paul McClure 03, New Atlas, 3 June 2025
Researchers can load these AAV shuttles with all sorts of different genes to answer different questions.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 2 June 2025
To learn more about how these plague pandemics changed over time, scientists at McMaster University in Canada and the Institut Pasteur in France turned to a Y. pestis virulence gene known as pla.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2025
Association between androgen receptor gene and behavioral traits in cats (Felis catus).
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gene
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Paul McClure 03, New Atlas, 3 June 2025
Researchers can load these AAV shuttles with all sorts of different genes to answer different questions.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 2 June 2025
To learn more about how these plague pandemics changed over time, scientists at McMaster University in Canada and the Institut Pasteur in France turned to a Y. pestis virulence gene known as pla.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2025
Association between androgen receptor gene and behavioral traits in cats (Felis catus).
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gene
Cite this Entry
“Gene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gene. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gene
noun
: a part of DNA or sometimes RNA that is usually located on a chromosome and that contains chemical information needed to make a particular protein (as an enzyme) controlling or influencing an inherited bodily trait or activity (as eye color or metabolism) or that influences or controls the activity of another gene or genes
Medical Definition
gene
noun
: a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and especially a protein or controlling the function of other genetic material
called also determinant, determiner, factor
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