genetic engineering

noun

: the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun

Example Sentences

The crops were made resistant to disease by genetic engineering.

Recent Examples on the Web

This process of genetic engineering, which introduces specific genes to create cells that mimic embryonic stem cells, was pioneered by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Shinya Yamanaka. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 24 Mar. 2023

The Mandalorian goes out of its way to talk in depth about the knowledge Pershing possesses and wants to keep pursuing, cloning and genetic engineering. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023

Today, the industry is an international behemoth, employing thousands in research on genetic engineering. —John Johnson Jr., Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2023

Most de-extinction programs aim to re-create a proxy of an extinct animal by genetic engineering, editing the genome of a closely related living species to replicate the target species’ genome. —Christine Kenneally, Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2023

The standard prohibits genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge. —Starre Vartan, Treehugger, 24 Jan. 2023

Organic foods are produced without use of toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones or genetic engineering techniques, while producers must adhere to federal guidelines on soil quality and animal-raising practices. —Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2023

Paul Berg, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who ushered in the era of genetic engineering in 1971 by successfully combining DNA from two different organisms, died on Wednesday at his home on the Stanford University campus in California. —Don R. Hecker, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023

Now, the Dallas genetic engineering startup has set its sights on resurrecting the extinct dodo bird more than 350 years after the flightless species was wiped out from its native island of Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar. —Ariana Garcia, Chron, 1 Feb. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

genetic engineering

noun

: the alteration of genetic material and especially the cutting up and joining together of DNA from one or more species for introduction into a living thing in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun

Medical Definition

genetic engineering

noun

-ˌen-jə-ˈnir-iŋ 

: the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics

genetically engineered adjective

genetic engineer noun