Illustration of DNA
- A molecular model
- 1 hydrogen
- 2 oxygen
- 3 carbon in the helical phosphate ester chains
- 4 carbon and nitrogen in the cross-linked purine and pyrimidine bases
- 5 phosphorus
- B double helix
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds between purine and pyrimidine bases (see base entry 1 sense 6b) which project inward from two chains containing alternate links of deoxyribose and phosphate, and that in eukaryotes are localized chiefly in cell nuclei compare recombinant dna
Examples of DNA in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Menswear has long been part of the house’s DNA.
—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of our closest hominin relatives, Neanderthals and Denisovans, but the Homo naledi remains at Rising Star are older, and South Africa’s heat breaks down DNA faster and more thoroughly than where those other remains were found.
—
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
Base editing, the process used to make the changes, only nicks one strand of DNA, avoiding the major DNA errors that made CRISPR unsafe.
—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
25 June 2026
Centellian24 comes from a Korean pharmaceutical company that spent decades researching Centella asiatica, so skin recovery is part of the brand’s DNA.
—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for DNA
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Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of our closest hominin relatives, Neanderthals and Denisovans, but the Homo naledi remains at Rising Star are older, and South Africa’s heat breaks down DNA faster and more thoroughly than where those other remains were found.
—
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
Base editing, the process used to make the changes, only nicks one strand of DNA, avoiding the major DNA errors that made CRISPR unsafe.
—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
25 June 2026
Centellian24 comes from a Korean pharmaceutical company that spent decades researching Centella asiatica, so skin recovery is part of the brand’s DNA.
—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for DNA
Cite this Entry
“DNA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DNA. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are located especially in cell nuclei, are usually the chemical basis of heredity, and are composed of two nucleotide chains held together by hydrogen bonds in a pattern resembling a flexible twisted ladder compare rna
Medical Definition
DNA
noun
: any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds between purine and pyrimidine bases which project inward from two chains containing alternate links of deoxyribose and phosphate, and that in eukaryotes are localized chiefly in cell nuclei
called also deoxyribonucleic acid
see recombinant dnaLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
