gene

noun

ˈjēn 

plural genes

: a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and especially a protein or controlling the function of other genetic material

Examples of gene in a Sentence

She inherited a good set of genes from her parents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like your mother’s complacency, which was probably buried in your gene code somewhere. —Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026

In aged golden spiny mice, immune cells in fat tissue highly express the gene that codes for clusterin. —Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026

Genomics studies all of a person’s genes to better understand health and disease risk. —Rachana Pradhan, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026

Chan and his colleagues analyzed DNA from frog specimens collected across the mountain rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, examining more than 13,000 genes across the frogs’ genomes — a level of detail impossible just a few decades ago. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

German Gen, short for Pangen, from pan- + -gen

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gene

• gene conversion
• gene editing
• gene flow
• gene frequency
• gene mutation
• gene pool
• gene-splicing
• gene therapy
• lethal gene
• regulator gene
• regulatory gene
• structural gene
• tumor suppressor gene

Rhymes for gene

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• chine
• clean
• acetylene
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• antipyrine
• apomorphine

Kids Definition

gene

noun

ˈjēn 

: a part of DNA or sometimes RNA that is usually located on a chromosome and that contains chemical information needed to make a particular protein (as an enzyme) controlling or influencing an inherited bodily trait or activity (as eye color or metabolism) or that influences or controls the activity of another gene or genes

Medical Definition

gene

noun

ˈjēn 

: a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and especially a protein or controlling the function of other genetic material

called also determinant, determiner, factor