genus
noun
, ˈje-
\
\
also genuses
Definition of genus
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for genus
Synonyms
bracket, category, class, classification, division, family, grade, group, kind, league, order, rank(s), rubric, set, species, tier, type
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of genus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Which genus of Bannon emerges from this septic tank of self-reinvention? — Corey Seymour, Vogue, "I Watched the New Steve Bannon Documentary, The Brink, So You Don’t Have To," 27 Mar. 2019 Meanwhile, the horseshoe crab genus Xiphosura has barely evolved over thousands of years, with a mere four species to its name. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Study: Horseshoe Crabs Really Are Arachnids, Just Like Spiders," 28 Feb. 2019 Whale sharks, the largest of the genus, can reach up to 33 feet. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "World's second-largest shark can jump just as high and as fast as great whites," 24 Sep. 2018 That’s a type of chicory, a member of an entirely different genus. — Rebekah Denn, The Seattle Times, "In defense of the dandelion," 9 Oct. 2018 In doing so, the monkeys became the first of their genus and the fourth of all nonhuman primates to enter the Stone Age, so to speak. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Did the Human Hand Evolve as a Lean Mean Bone-Smashing Machine?," 13 July 2018 In many American homes, water is treated with chlorine and chloramine, which kill pathogens but not mycobacteria, a genus that includes the cause of tuberculosis. — Lisa Margonelli, WSJ, "‘Never Home Alone’ Review: The Critters Chez Nous," 28 Nov. 2018 The differences are enough to declare the animal a previously unknown genus and species of gibbon, dubbed Junzi imperialis. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Extinct Gibbon Species Discovered in 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Tomb," 23 June 2018 The most likely bet is H. erectus, an archaic human species that first evolved nearly 2 million years ago and may have been the first member of our genus to expand out of Africa, the team writes today in Nature. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "Ancient humans settled the Philippines 700,000 years ago," 2 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for genus
genus
noun
English Language Learners Definition of genus
See the full definition for genus in the English Language Learners Dictionary
genus
noun
\
Kids Definition of genus
genus
noun
, ˈjen-əs
\
\
Medical Definition of genus
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on genus
What made you want to look up genus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words from Greek and Latin Quiz
-
- Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
-
Words from Greek and Latin Quiz
Finally! A use for those SAT prep classes.
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing: Animal Edition
How many animals can you identify?
Take the quiz -
Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz -
Bee Cubed
Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.
Play the game
Share genus
Resources for genus