as in changes
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 mutates
Measles mutates slowly enough that researchers can in many cases search for essentially the same strain when tracking its movements.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2025
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutates
Verb
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The group’s bill also changes pharmacy benefit manager rebate programs to save money.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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The pool’s positioning also changes slightly with each model.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If income varies, create a simple cushion by setting aside a small percentage whenever money comes in.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
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Since electric bills are higher in the summer when people are using air conditioning, Tolentino said ComEd offers efficiency options where the price of electricity varies by the time of day.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gruev goes inside to Ampadu, who quickly shifts it to James Justin as Habib Diarra harries him.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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The hiring spree comes as the company shifts more aggressively toward enterprise sales and tries to regain momentum against Anthropic and Google, and as the company eyes a possible IPO within the next 12 months.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The inherent value of some watches fluctuates on a daily basis because of the materials.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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When estrogen fluctuates wildly postpartum or during perimenopause, ADHD symptoms often get dramatically worse.—
Sarah Oreck,
SELF,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutates. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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