metabolite

noun

me·​tab·​o·​lite mə-ˈta-bə-ˌlīt 

1

: a product of metabolism

2

: a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process

Examples of metabolite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wishart and his colleagues found that a panel of 69 metabolites in peoples’ urine could predict who had pre-cancerous polyps in their colon. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 Oct. 2025

The keto diet restored these deficits, particularly in female APOE4 mice, normalizing most metabolites to APOE3 levels. —New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2025

Insertion of a synthetic switch into insulin provides metabolite-dependent regulation of hormone–receptor activation. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

These microbes react with the air and rock through photosynthesis and respiration to produce organic molecules called metabolites. —Chris Impey, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

metabol(ic) or metabol(ism) + -ite entry 1

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for metabolite

• actinolite
• adipocyte
• amphibolite
• anorthosite
• anthophyllite
• aragonite
• carbonatite
• cassiterite
• cristobalite
• crocidolite
• diatomite
• dithionite

Kids Definition

metabolite

noun

me·​tab·​o·​lite mə-ˈtab-ə-ˌlīt 

1

: a substance produced by metabolism

2

: a substance essential to a process of metabolism

Medical Definition

metabolite

noun

me·​tab·​o·​lite -ˌlīt 

1

: a product of metabolism:

a

: a metabolic waste usually more or less toxic to the organism producing it : excretion

b

: a product of one metabolic process that is essential to another such process in the same organism

c

: a metabolic waste of one organism that is markedly toxic to another : antibiotic

2

: a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process