as in to change
to pass from one form, state, or level to another
colored lights that slowly mutate from green to blue and so on across the color spectrum
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Recent Examples of mutate
Influenza mutates so quickly that the vaccine formula needs to be tweaked each year to protect against the three to four variants that scientists think will circulate most in the fall and winter.
—
Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 29 July 2025
Today, nearly all of the world’s polio cases — mostly in Africa and the Middle East — are mutated viruses from the oral vaccine, except for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
—Riazat Butt, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Plus, the coronavirus is constantly mutating, producing new versions that have been able to evade immune protection from vaccination or previous infection.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 24 July 2025
And that’s just the first traumatic — albeit, thrilling — run-in with the formerly extinct, and genetically mutated, species which roam freely around the tropical locale.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutate
Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 29 July 2025
Today, nearly all of the world’s polio cases — mostly in Africa and the Middle East — are mutated viruses from the oral vaccine, except for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
—Riazat Butt, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Plus, the coronavirus is constantly mutating, producing new versions that have been able to evade immune protection from vaccination or previous infection.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 24 July 2025
And that’s just the first traumatic — albeit, thrilling — run-in with the formerly extinct, and genetically mutated, species which roam freely around the tropical locale.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutate
Verb
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Businesses need to commit rapidly to change to avoid becoming obsolete.—
Adrian Carr,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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According to reports from The Guardian and the Associated Press, the vice president's security detail from the Secret Service requested that the Army Corps of Engineers change the outflow of a lake into the Little Miami River ahead of Vance's trip to southwest Ohio on Saturday, Aug. 2.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The proportion of ERs without an attending physician always on-site varies wildly by state.—
Arielle Zionts. KFF Health News,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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The cost per location can vary widely based on terrain and population density.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The lineup shifts with the seasons (think pecan in the fall, mincemeat at Christmas, and cherry in summer), but a few icons never leave the case.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
19 Aug. 2025
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Her narrative focus has shifted from a hopeful idealism to something bordering on world-weariness, as her excoriating prose focuses more on bad actors—ineffectual politicians, vicious drug dealers, corrupt judiciaries.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mutate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutate. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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