polymerase
noun
po·ly·mer·ase
pə-ˈli-mə-rās 
ˈpä-lə-mə-ˌrās
ˈpä-lə-mə-ˌrās
-ˌrāz
: any of several enzymes that catalyze the formation of DNA or RNA from precursor substances in the presence of preexisting DNA or RNA acting as a template compare dna polymerase, rna polymerase
Examples of polymerase in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While polymerase chase reaction, or PCR, COVID tests are more accurate that rapid antigen tests, they must be administered by a skilled laboratory technician, require special equipment and take up to an hour or more to process.
—
Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2024
But the biggest surprise was that the viruses had a polymerase enzyme dedicated to pairing Z bases with T’s during DNA replication.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2021
Approximately 4 million people with active hepatitis C were identified and treated with the antiviral medication Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), a nucleotide analogue that inhibits the polymerase enzyme of hepatitis C and blocks its replication, effectively eliminating hepatitis C from Egypt.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
The antiviral drug remdesivir, for example, is a polymerase inhibitor that works similarly to molnupiravir, and it has been shown to be effective against Covid-19, but it can be administered only by IV.
—NBC News, 12 Nov. 2021
Once a SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected a lung cell, an enzyme called polymerase starts to make copies of its RNA while another enzyme, ExoN, finds random mutations and expels these genetic mistakes from the copies.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 23 June 2020
The low-frequency mutations originate from polymerase mistakes when copying the virus.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021
The Merck pill, which doesn’t affect protease but instead introduces mutational errors through an enzyme called polymerase, initially showed a 50% reduction in hospitalization and death in high-risk unvaccinated people with mild or moderate COVID-19.
—Colleen Stinchcombe, SELF, 14 Dec. 2021
And that will be carried out by a whole set of molecular machines, the polymerase and things like that, that are basically just doing that all the time in the cell.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2024
But the biggest surprise was that the viruses had a polymerase enzyme dedicated to pairing Z bases with T’s during DNA replication.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2021
Approximately 4 million people with active hepatitis C were identified and treated with the antiviral medication Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), a nucleotide analogue that inhibits the polymerase enzyme of hepatitis C and blocks its replication, effectively eliminating hepatitis C from Egypt.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
The antiviral drug remdesivir, for example, is a polymerase inhibitor that works similarly to molnupiravir, and it has been shown to be effective against Covid-19, but it can be administered only by IV.
—NBC News, 12 Nov. 2021
Once a SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected a lung cell, an enzyme called polymerase starts to make copies of its RNA while another enzyme, ExoN, finds random mutations and expels these genetic mistakes from the copies.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 23 June 2020
The low-frequency mutations originate from polymerase mistakes when copying the virus.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021
The Merck pill, which doesn’t affect protease but instead introduces mutational errors through an enzyme called polymerase, initially showed a 50% reduction in hospitalization and death in high-risk unvaccinated people with mild or moderate COVID-19.
—Colleen Stinchcombe, SELF, 14 Dec. 2021
And that will be carried out by a whole set of molecular machines, the polymerase and things like that, that are basically just doing that all the time in the cell.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'polymerase.' 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 polymerase
Cite this Entry
“Polymerase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polymerase. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
polymerase
noun
po·ly·mer·ase
pə-ˈlim-ər-ās; ˈpä-lə-mə-ˌrās, -ˌrāz
: any of several enzymes that catalyze the formation of DNA or RNA from precursor substances in the presence of preexisting DNA or RNA acting as a template
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