reagent
noun
re·agent
rē-ˈā-jənt 
: a substance used (as in detecting or measuring a component, in preparing a product, or in developing photographs) because of its chemical or biological activity
Examples of reagent in a Sentence
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Scientists all over the world use FlyBase every day — to look up gene expression patterns, search through its collection of 87,000 Drosophila papers, or contact other labs to get genetically unique strains of flies or reagents to run new experiments.
—
Megan Molteni, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
There were beakers everywhere, full of chemical reagents such as sodium hydrosulfite and inorganic bases.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The mechanism eliminates the need for corrosive reagents or external catalysts.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
This process is complex, resource-intensive, and environmentally burdensome—relying on hazardous reagents and generating significant waste.
—CBS News, 4 Dec. 2025
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Megan Molteni, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
There were beakers everywhere, full of chemical reagents such as sodium hydrosulfite and inorganic bases.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The mechanism eliminates the need for corrosive reagents or external catalysts.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
This process is complex, resource-intensive, and environmentally burdensome—relying on hazardous reagents and generating significant waste.
—CBS News, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reagent
Cite this Entry
“Reagent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reagent. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
reagent
noun
re·agent
rē-ˈā-jənt
1
: a substance used (as in detecting or measuring a component, in preparing a product, or in developing photographs) because of its chemical or biological activity
2
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