plural base pairs
: one of the pairs of nucleotide bases on complementary strands of nucleic acid that consist of a purine on one strand joined to a pyrimidine on the other strand by hydrogen bonds holding together the two strands much like the rungs of a ladder and that include adenine linked to thymine in DNA or to uracil in RNA and guanine linked to cytosine in both DNA and RNA
variants
or base-pair
base paired or base-paired; base pairing or base-pairing; base pairs or base-pairs
: to participate in formation of a base pair
adenine base-pairs with thymine
Examples of base pair in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024
In just 13 years, the Human Genome Project, a U.S.-led international public initiative, sequenced and published the data on the three billion DNA base pairs that constitute the human genome.
—Matthew J. Slaughter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2021
Humans have about three billion base pairs, and T. oblanceolata has roughly 50 times more.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Over two decades, researchers went from analyzing thousands to billions of base pairs of DNA from individual killer whales.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for base pair 
Noun
By 2003, scientists had the complete sequence of the 3 billion nucleotide base pairs coding for 20,000 to 25,000 genes in the human genome.
—Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024
In just 13 years, the Human Genome Project, a U.S.-led international public initiative, sequenced and published the data on the three billion DNA base pairs that constitute the human genome.
—Matthew J. Slaughter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2021
Humans have about three billion base pairs, and T. oblanceolata has roughly 50 times more.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Over two decades, researchers went from analyzing thousands to billions of base pairs of DNA from individual killer whales.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for base pair
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'base pair.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near base pair
Cite this Entry
“Base pair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/base%20pair. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
base pair
1 of 2 noun
: one of the pairs of nucleotide bases on complementary strands of nucleic acid that consist of a purine on one strand joined to a pyrimidine on the other strand by hydrogen bonds holding together the two strands much like the rungs of a ladder and that include adenine linked to thymine in DNA or to uracil in RNA and guanine linked to cytosine in both DNA and RNA
base pair
2 of 2 intransitive verb
variants
or base-pair
: to participate in formation of a base pair
adenine base pairs with thymine
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