cellular respiration

variants: or less commonly cell respiration

Definition of cellular respiration

: any of various energy-yielding oxidative reactions in living matter that typically involve transfer of oxygen and production of carbon dioxide and water as end products Cellular respiration is a series of reactions, occurring under aerobic conditions, during which large amounts of ATP are produced.— Teresa Audesirk and Gerald Audesirk One of the primary sources of energy is glucose, the basic building block of starch and many sugars in our diet. Its oxidation in cell respiration can be subdivided into three phases: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the system of electron transport.— Pete Moore

Examples of cellular respiration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Known as the cell's powerhouse, mitochondria is responsible for cellular respiration and produces energy, known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), from oxygen. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "Nature's Toxic Gifts: The Deadly Story of Poison," 4 Oct. 2020 More attention must be paid to basic metabolism and energy regulation, including the cellular respiration of neurons and glial cells. — Dean Mobbs, Scientific American, "On the Nature of Fear," 20 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cellular respiration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Cellular respiration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellular%20respiration. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.

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