nucleotide
noun
nu·cle·o·tide
ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 
ˈnyü-
: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of nucleic acids (such as RNA and DNA) compare nucleoside
Examples of nucleotide in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The subglacial rock contained cosmogenic nucleotides that prove that Summit’s surface was exposed to the elements for an extended period.
—
Carly Miller, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
At its simplest, sickle cell disease is a problem caused by the smallest unit in genetics: a change in a single nucleotide—one of about three billion in the human genome—within a gene that directs the production of one part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen molecules through the blood.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Phosphates are among the constituents of nucleotides, which in turn form the structural units of nucleic acids, like DNA.
—Linda Shiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024
AlphaFold, a machine learning program, used these crystal structures as a training set to determine the shape of the proteins from their nucleotide sequences.
—Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for nucleotide 
Carly Miller, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
At its simplest, sickle cell disease is a problem caused by the smallest unit in genetics: a change in a single nucleotide—one of about three billion in the human genome—within a gene that directs the production of one part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen molecules through the blood.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Phosphates are among the constituents of nucleotides, which in turn form the structural units of nucleic acids, like DNA.
—Linda Shiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024
AlphaFold, a machine learning program, used these crystal structures as a training set to determine the shape of the proteins from their nucleotide sequences.
—Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for nucleotide
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nucleotide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nucleotide
Cite this Entry
“Nucleotide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nucleotide. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nucleotide
noun
nu·cle·o·tide
ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd
: any of the basic units of structure of DNA or RNA that consist of a base (as adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thymine) joined to a sugar (as deoxyribose) with five carbon atoms in a molecule and to a phosphate group
Medical Definition
nucleotide
noun
nu·cle·o·tide
ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd
: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of RNA and DNA compare nucleoside
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