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
The results were unexpected—Stetson turned out to be a mix of a number of breeds, including 58 percent German shepherd, 18 percent retriever and 10 percent Chow—but there wasn't a trace of Labrador in his genes.
—
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
All eggs start as white inside the hen, and if the breed carries the genes for shell pigmentation, color is added during the final stages of egg formation.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2025
Though diverse microbiomes are good in many contexts, that might not be the case here, where many of the microbes seem to be evolving and passing around genes for antimicrobial resistance.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
The same individual plant can take on either lifestyle, leaning on its ancestral mother’s or father’s genes as need be.
—Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gene
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Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
All eggs start as white inside the hen, and if the breed carries the genes for shell pigmentation, color is added during the final stages of egg formation.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2025
Though diverse microbiomes are good in many contexts, that might not be the case here, where many of the microbes seem to be evolving and passing around genes for antimicrobial resistance.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
The same individual plant can take on either lifestyle, leaning on its ancestral mother’s or father’s genes as need be.
—Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 26 Feb. 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 9 Mar. 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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