mutates

present tense third-person singular of mutate
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mutates Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutates
Verb
  • Beyond internal efficiency, the unit changes how heavy home loads receive power during an emergency.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But remember, November cannot be, and will not be, what changes America.
    — Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Sentence length varies between English, Italian, French, Spanish.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The exact number varies greatly depending on what type of hardware is inside a data center, where it's built, and what method is used to cool the servers and the building as a whole.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Their goal was for the album to tell a story of radicalization, following a protagonist who shifts from complacency to an awareness of injustice and institutional oppression, and ultimately resolves to act against it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • This then shifts the star’s color away from the more typical orange, white, and blue.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The reason is related to the price of natural gas that fluctuates, leading to high charges on bills, like in the past, or credits that are expected to last for a one-year period until next May.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Locking in flexible covenant thresholds during healthy quarters protects operational sovereignty when revenue fluctuates temporarily.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mutates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutates. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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