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

Even in that case, Pritts notes that the seedling will not be identical to the mother tree because the genes for different traits are mixed. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 June 2026

According to its basic theory, Homo sapiens as a species moved so rapidly from hunting and gathering to buying food at supermarkets that our genes never caught up. — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026

Embryo editing advances reignite ethical debates Scientists have used a newer, more precise form of CRISPR in early human embryos to better understand the genes at play during the earliest stages of human development. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 26 June 2026

Some doctors sent blood samples to laboratories studying individual genes. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 25 June 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
• clean
• deen
• acetylcysteine
• antisubmarine
• dichlorobenzene
• dimethylamine
• diphenylamine
• ethanolamine

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