clone

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the aggregate of genetically identical cells or organisms asexually produced by or from a single progenitor cell or organism
b
: an individual grown from a single somatic cell or cell nucleus and genetically identical to it
c
: a group of replicas of all or part of a macromolecule and especially DNA
clones of identical recombinant DNA sequences
2
: one that appears to be a copy of an original form : duplicate
a clone of a personal computer
clonal adjective
clonally adverb

clone

2 of 2

verb

cloned; cloning

transitive verb

1
: to propagate a clone from
2
: to make a copy of

intransitive verb

: to produce a clone
cloner noun

Did you know?

Cloning is the production of a population of genetically identical cells or of organisms asexually produced by a single cell or organism. Cloning is fundamental to most living things, since the body cells of plants and animals are clones that come from a single fertilized egg. More narrowly, the term refers to an individual organism grown from a single body cell of its parent that is genetically identical to the parent. Cloning has been commonplace in horticulture since ancient times — many varieties of plants are cloned simply by obtaining cuttings of their leaves, stems, or roots and replanting them. The body cells of adult humans and other animals are routinely cultured as clones in the laboratory. British researchers achieved the first success in cloning an adult mammal in 1996. They produced a lamb, which they named Dolly, using DNA from an adult sheep.

Examples of clone in a Sentence

Noun the clone of an adult female sheep the car is a clone under a different brand name—it's even manufactured in the same plant as its cousin Verb Do you think scientists should clone humans? a plant produced by cloning
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Unlike many right-wing Twitter clones, the site functions well, has remained mostly online, and actually appears to have a somewhat active user base. William Turton, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2024 That means that all offspring are clones of their mother, sharing precisely the same genes. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 The hope is to plant little Stumpy clones on the National Mall or nearby parks. Kevin Ambrose, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 At one point, it’s casually revealed that a major protagonist is actually a clone of themselves; even Magneto’s conversion to the X-Men’s side of things is surprisingly swift and fuss-free. Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 The album’s digital cover art sees the back of Grande’s head, leaning against a clone of herself. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 This often leads to hiring like-minded individuals who belong to diverse ethnicities and identities but think like an army of clones. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 And there’s this myth that you're supposed to marry somebody or be committed to somebody who is a clone of you. Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 5 Feb. 2024 In a recent blog, YouTube announced that views of YouTube Shorts, its TikTok clone, have surged by over 100% on connected televisions from January to September 2023. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the case of Charlotte, then, her pregnancy can most likely be explained by parthenogenesis, a type of asexual reproduction akin to cloning that’s performed by some fish, reptiles and birds. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 In January, two companies in Texas cloned President Biden’s voice to discourage voting in the New Hampshire primary. Wes Davis, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024 Hailey refers to Hailey Hansard, the actor whose voice is being cloned. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 You are supposed to clone and fuse yourself in order to conceal your Black or indigenous side. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 This is different than cloning, Lyons cautions, which would create an exact copy of the mother ray. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2024 Scientists in Italy had cloned the first horse in 2003. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 In one video, Santos enthusiastically congratulated a mother for cloning her pet schnauzer dog. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Based on the clips shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the requests included having Santos congratulate a person for eating six pounds of loose ground beef in less than 30 minutes and another for cloning a schnauzer named Adolf. Shania Russell, EW.com, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Greek klōn twig, slip; akin to Greek klan to break — more at clast

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1930, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clone was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near clone

Cite this Entry

“Clone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clone. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clone

1 of 2 noun
1
: the whole collection of offspring produced asexually from an individual (as a plant increased by grafting)
2
: an individual grown from a single body cell of its parent and having the same genes as its parent
clonal adjective

clone

2 of 2 verb
cloned; cloning
: to make a clone from

Medical Definition

clone

1 of 2 noun
1
: the aggregate of genetically identical cells or organisms asexually produced by a single progenitor cell or organism
2
: an individual grown from a single somatic cell or cell nucleus and genetically identical to it
3
: a group of replicas of all or part of a macromolecule and especially DNA
clonal adjective
clonally adverb

clone

2 of 2 verb
cloned; cloning

transitive verb

: to propagate a clone from
frogs have been successfully cloned by transplanting nuclei from body cells to enucleated eggs

intransitive verb

: to produce a clone

More from Merriam-Webster on clone

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