genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm How to pronounce genome (audio)
: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain
broadly : the genetic material of an organism compare proteome

Examples of genome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As Watson and Crick noted in their original publication, the double-helix structure of DNA implicated a straightforward mechanism for how the genome changed and replicated, and that insight transformed biology into a mechanistic science. Kathryn Paige Harden, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025 Researchers presented Watson with the detailed description of his own genome in 2007. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025 When the National Institutes of Health, which funded the project, decided to seek patents on some DNA sequences, Watson attacked the NIH director and resigned, arguing that genome knowledge should remain in the public domain. Reuters, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025 The team plans to adapt the system for other major food and energy crops, including cereals and legumes, and integrate it further with precision genome editing. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for genome

Word History

Etymology

German Genom, from Gen gene + -om (as in Chromosom chromosome)

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of genome was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Genome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genome. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

Medical Definition

genome

noun
ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm How to pronounce genome (audio)
: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain
broadly : the genetic material of an organism
The idea behind sequencing an organism's genome—decoding, letter by letter, the message contained in every last one of its genes—is that it would tell us a lot about how the organism works. Lori Oliwenstein, Discover

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