genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: 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

That future has advanced quickly for newborns, with the United Kingdom and Florida beginning to sequence every baby's genome. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Labs can fingerprint salmonella by whole-genome sequencing and tie to a common source within days, so if public health infrastructure is lacking, the lab can pick up the slack. — Katrine Wallace, STAT, 15 July 2026

The SpudCell largely resembles a living cell, with a lipid membrane and a small genome, despite being stitched together from a list of nonliving ingredients. — Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 14 July 2026

Earlier designs of minimal cells, used to test which components are necessary for lifelike behavior, began with existing living cells and reduced the size of their genomes. — Tara Deans, The Conversation, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing genome

• genome editing

Rhymes for genome

• biome
• nichrome
• noisome
• prodrome
• radome
• rhizome
• shalom
• syndrome
• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb
• centrosome

Medical Definition

genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: 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