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You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
TAKE THE QUIZcellular respiration
noun
variants
or less commonly cell 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
Teresa Audesirk and Gerald AudesirkOne 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
Pete Moore
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
Much of the new work has centered on the Warburg effect, named for Otto Heinrich Warburg, a German biologist who won a Nobel prize for his research in cellular respiration.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2022
Your breath has about 100 times more thanks to your cellular respiration, or how your cells break down sugars and oxygen to make energy and CO2.
—Max G. Levy, Wired, 23 Feb. 2022
The superintendent talked a few minutes about cellular respiration — students listened politely — and then shifted into asking about college and career plans.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2022
Tempo sessions improve your body’s tolerance to and ability to buffer lactate (the byproduct of anaerobic cellular respiration).
—Jason Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 12 July 2019
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Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
An additional 30 percent to 50 percent of children with autism show signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, such as abnormal levels of certain byproducts generated by cellular respiration, the process through which ATP is produced.
—Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2021
Much of the new work has centered on the Warburg effect, named for Otto Heinrich Warburg, a German biologist who won a Nobel prize for his research in cellular respiration.
—James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2022
Your breath has about 100 times more thanks to your cellular respiration, or how your cells break down sugars and oxygen to make energy and CO2.
—Max G. Levy, Wired, 23 Feb. 2022
The superintendent talked a few minutes about cellular respiration — students listened politely — and then shifted into asking about college and career plans.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2022
Tempo sessions improve your body’s tolerance to and ability to buffer lactate (the byproduct of anaerobic cellular respiration).
—Jason Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 12 July 2019
See More
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.
Word History
First Known Use
1888, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of cellular respiration was
in 1888
Dictionary Entries Near cellular respiration
Cite this Entry
“Cellular respiration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellular%20respiration. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.
Medical Definition
cellular respiration
noun
: 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
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