genetic engineering

noun

: the modification of an organism's genetic material that involves using applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology to alter or delete a DNA segment or to insert a new DNA segment from a different species in order to express (see express entry 1 sense 4) or suppress (see suppress sense 6) a targeted trait or traits : genetic modification

Breeders have used a variety of techniques—and are now beginning to use genetic engineering—to produce crops that grow faster, are less expensive to plant and have better defenses against insects, diseases and harsh weather.

—Keith Schneider

Besides developing its own purified form of insulin, it has harnessed the new techniques of genetic engineering to develop a means of producing human insulin in bacteria.

—Science

genetically engineered adjective

genetically engineered soybean crops

genetic engineer noun

plural genetic engineers

In test-tube procedures, genetic engineers had begun using chemical scissors known as restriction enzymes to snip particular chromosomes at designated points.

—Geoffrey Cowley

Examples of genetic engineering in a Sentence

The crops were made resistant to disease by genetic engineering.

Recent Examples on the Web

Crop genetic engineering can be a very effective way to manage pests, but only a few crops like corn and soybeans made the transition to use of those methods before the anti-GMO movement effectively blocked that option from being able to the growers of almost all other crops. —Steven Savage, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

That changed when the team gave these mice an experimental cancer drug that could block the enzyme much the way genetic engineering had. —Jon Hamilton, NPR, 2 Sep. 2024

For decades, scientists have tinkered with the DNA of plants, using genetic engineering and other biotechnologies to produce crops that taste better, resist pesticides, contain more nutrients and improve yields for farmers. —Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024

On a whim, the researchers next used genetic engineering to increase PPE levels in Escherichia coli bacteria, replacing about a quarter of the bacteria’s phospholipids with PPE. —Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 27 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

genetic engineering

noun

: the alteration of genetic material and especially the cutting up and joining together of DNA from one or more species for introduction into a living thing in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun

Medical Definition

genetic engineering

noun

-ˌen-jə-ˈnir-iŋ 

: the modification of an organism's genetic material that involves using applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology to alter or delete a DNA segment or to insert a new DNA segment from a different species in order to express (see express sense 3) or suppress (see suppress sense 3) a targeted trait or traits : genetic modification

Since genetic engineering offers the possibility of altering the amino acid sequence of the expressed protein by adding or substituting codons, it is possible to generate alternative sequences with tunable properties that can be used as promising biomaterials for medical applications.

—Sílvia Gomes et al., Progress in Polymer Science

genetically engineered adjective

… vaccination with genetically engineered hypoallergenic allergen derivatives has the potential to reduce the pathological IgE response underlying allergic disease and, hence, may prevent the progression of disease.

—V. Niederberger et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

genetic engineer noun

Recent experiments have been used to "edit" genomes of various plant, animal and other species, including humans, with unprecedented precision. … These experiments represent advances along a spectrum of technological abilities that genetic engineers have been working on since the advent of recombinant DNA techniques.

—Pamela L. Sankar and Mildred K. Cho, The American Journal of Bioethics