cellular 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
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 The high levels of prussic acid in the sorghum grass had an intoxicating effect on the cattle, blocking their cellular respiration and effectively suffocating them, Giantin told USA TODAY in an email. Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023 All animals possess a copy of CO1—many copies, actually—which is critical to cellular respiration. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cellular respiration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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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