molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physicochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis

molecular biologist noun

Examples of molecular biology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Umurzokov planned to concentrate in biochemistry and molecular biology on his way to becoming a neurosurgeon, and in high school in Virginia served as president of his Model United Nations chapter and Scholastic Bowl team captain, Paxson said. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025

Umurzokov, a dual citizen of the US and Uzbekistan, planned to study biochemistry and molecular biology to further his dream of being a doctor, Paxson said. —Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025

The then 24-year-old was thriving in her job as a lab technician in the neurology department at Ohio State University and working toward her master’s degree in molecular biology. —Andrew Abrahams, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025

Into this scaffold, the research team introduced human cells that had been reprogrammed using molecular biology techniques into pluripotent stem cells. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for molecular biology

• anesthesiology
• epidemiology
• ethnomethodology
• ethnomusicology
• gastroenterology
• immunobiology
• immunopathology
• neuropharmacology
• neurophysiology
• neuroradiology
• otolaryngology
• paleobiology

Kids Definition

molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology that investigates the structure and function of usually large molecules (as DNA and proteins) of living matter in order to understand their role in biological processes (as inheritance and cell function)

Medical Definition

molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology dealing with the study and understanding of biological activity and processes at the molecular level and especially the molecular basis of gene function and protein synthesis

Molecular biology experiments proved that small pieces of DNA did sometimes move within or between chromosomes, thereby triggering changes in gene expression.

—John Rennie, Scientific American

The test is based on several recent advances in molecular biology, including the new insight that cells slip into the uncontrolled growth known as cancer through defects in specific enzymes that monitor and control division.

—Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times