genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain

broadly : the genetic material of an organism compare proteome

Examples of genome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But what if the larvae are dead or missing, there’s no high-quality DNA or there isn’t the time—or equipment—to sequence the flies’ genomes? —Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2026

Meanwhile, molecules involved in regulating the genome must be ushered into the nucleus preferentially. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026

The Evo2 model was trained on 9 trillion DNA letters much as other AIs train on internet text, and when given a chunk of a microbe’s genome, was able to create a plausible-looking version of the rest. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 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 Genom, from Gen gene + -om (as in Chromosom chromosome)

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing genome

• genome editing

Rhymes for genome

• biome
• megohm
• nichrome
• noisome
• prodrome
• radome
• rhizome
• shalom
• syndrome
• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb

Medical Definition

genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain

broadly : the genetic material of an organism

The idea behind sequencing an organism's genome—decoding, letter by letter, the message contained in every last one of its genes—is that it would tell us a lot about how the organism works.

—Lori Oliwenstein, Discover