as in changing
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 mutating
In the games, the ghost town operates as an ever-mutating mindspace.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
However, cases have sharply risen since 2021, likely due to a combination of mutating bacteria and declining rates of vaccination overall, especially among teens getting a booster dose for bacterial meningitis, doctors suggest.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
Experts who spoke to Flow Space are hopeful that these new approvals will provide the necessary tools to treat a disease that evades treatment by constantly mutating.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2025
In the five years since, Geese has emerged as a new beacon of post-punk, mutating into an ambitious art-rock experiment across three albums.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
From containers to serverless functions, cloud architecture keeps mutating.
—Daniel Fusch, Ascend Agency, 28 Oct. 2025
This dark side to Gen Z’s millennial backlash and desire to relive the turn of the millennium is showing signs of mutating in disturbing and unprecedented directions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Once dismissed as a Nineties fad, shoegaze has never stopped mutating and expanding as a musical language.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
However, such dormancy could be a life strategy too, keeping the bacterium stable with its DNA replicated (albeit with next to no chance of mutating or evolving) every time the host divides.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
However, cases have sharply risen since 2021, likely due to a combination of mutating bacteria and declining rates of vaccination overall, especially among teens getting a booster dose for bacterial meningitis, doctors suggest.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
Experts who spoke to Flow Space are hopeful that these new approvals will provide the necessary tools to treat a disease that evades treatment by constantly mutating.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2025
In the five years since, Geese has emerged as a new beacon of post-punk, mutating into an ambitious art-rock experiment across three albums.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
From containers to serverless functions, cloud architecture keeps mutating.
—Daniel Fusch, Ascend Agency, 28 Oct. 2025
This dark side to Gen Z’s millennial backlash and desire to relive the turn of the millennium is showing signs of mutating in disturbing and unprecedented directions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Once dismissed as a Nineties fad, shoegaze has never stopped mutating and expanding as a musical language.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
However, such dormancy could be a life strategy too, keeping the bacterium stable with its DNA replicated (albeit with next to no chance of mutating or evolving) every time the host divides.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutating
Verb
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At one point, many good mechanics and some engine rebuilders would recommend changing engine oil at 500 miles.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
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The other challenge was just changing the paradigm of what people felt about downtown districts.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Officials gave varying numbers as the incident unfolded, but Roache said early Friday that a total of 13 cars decoupled during the derailment and 10 came off tracks.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
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This chemical reaction occurs on a catalyst surface where hydrogen and carbon atoms link to form hydrocarbon chains of varying lengths.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Executives at the show, which closes on Sunday, pointed to shifting alliances and tougher rhetoric from major powers as a catalyst for the trend.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
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Finally, two Olympic torches were lit two Olympic cauldrons, in Milan and Cortina, their flames at the center of shape-shifting spheres.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutating. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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