electrophoresis
noun
elec·tro·pho·re·sis
i-ˌlek-trə-fə-ˈrē-səs 
: the movement of suspended particles through a medium (such as paper or gel) under the action of an electromotive force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension
Examples of electrophoresis in a Sentence
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That was when electronic paper made its debut in digital book readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.
E-paper exploits a phenomenon called electrophoresis, discovered in 1807 and revived at Xerox PARC in the 1970s but put to practical use at MIT’s Media Lab only in 1997.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2010
The new devices, an organic electronic ion pump custom designed for the anatomy of rats, is based on the principle of electrophoresis: the transport of molecules through a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2015
Gel electrophoresis uses an electrical field to separate out the molecules of DNA and the florescent stain in the gel allows the results to be viewed under a black light.
—Kendra MacK, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Aug. 2023
The most common blood test is hemoglobin electrophoresis, in which electrical currents are passed through a blood sample, separating different types of hemoglobin into discrete bands.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Back in her lab, Watsa analyzes the sample using a small electrophoresis device that’s connected to a smartphone.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Dec. 2022
Rather than use electrophoresis, Righetti opted to try a more powerful technique called mass spectrometry.
—Jo Marchant, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2022
These fragments were then placed in a gel and separated by electrophoresis, the application of an electric charge.
—Fortune, 14 June 2018
The test uses a process called capillary electrophoresis to separate a liquid into its independent components.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 27 Jan. 2017
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IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2010
The new devices, an organic electronic ion pump custom designed for the anatomy of rats, is based on the principle of electrophoresis: the transport of molecules through a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2015
Gel electrophoresis uses an electrical field to separate out the molecules of DNA and the florescent stain in the gel allows the results to be viewed under a black light.
—Kendra MacK, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Aug. 2023
The most common blood test is hemoglobin electrophoresis, in which electrical currents are passed through a blood sample, separating different types of hemoglobin into discrete bands.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Back in her lab, Watsa analyzes the sample using a small electrophoresis device that’s connected to a smartphone.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Dec. 2022
Rather than use electrophoresis, Righetti opted to try a more powerful technique called mass spectrometry.
—Jo Marchant, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2022
These fragments were then placed in a gel and separated by electrophoresis, the application of an electric charge.
—Fortune, 14 June 2018
The test uses a process called capillary electrophoresis to separate a liquid into its independent components.
—Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, 27 Jan. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Electrophoresis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrophoresis. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
electrophoresis
noun
elec·tro·pho·re·sis
-trə-fə-ˈrē-səs
plural electrophoreses
-ˌsēz
: the movement of suspended particles through a fluid or gel under the action of an electromotive force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension
called also cataphoresis
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