: a reproductive gland (such as an ovary or testis) that produces gametes
Examples of gonad in a Sentence
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This process begins with the day’s first light, when photoreceptive proteins called opsins in the gonads detect sunlight, triggering production of a hormone that matures developing gametes.
—
Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
For years, researchers could only guess that this process might begin in the gonads, the fish’s reproductive organs.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The researchers used Cox proportional hazards models, a standard survival analysis method, to see how frailty predicted mortality, overall and in groups with different durations of gonad exposure.
—New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2025
Purple sea urchins tend to be small and lack the rich gonads that make the reds so profitable.
—Rebecca Vega Thurber, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
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Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
For years, researchers could only guess that this process might begin in the gonads, the fish’s reproductive organs.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 21 Feb. 2026
The researchers used Cox proportional hazards models, a standard survival analysis method, to see how frailty predicted mortality, overall and in groups with different durations of gonad exposure.
—New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2025
Purple sea urchins tend to be small and lack the rich gonads that make the reds so profitable.
—Rebecca Vega Thurber, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gonad
Cite this Entry
“Gonad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gonad. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gonad
noun
go·nad
ˈgō-ˌnad 
: a sperm- or egg-producing gland (as a testis or ovary)
called also sex gland
Medical Definition
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