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
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
Among the familiar faces fans will encounter are the heroine, Lucy, the Ghoul, and Maximus, as well as a gaggle of mutating and robotic foes.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
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
Among the familiar faces fans will encounter are the heroine, Lucy, the Ghoul, and Maximus, as well as a gaggle of mutating and robotic foes.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutating
Verb
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Strategically using dimmers, light-filtering and -blocking window coverings, and temperature-changing light sources also offer sensory support.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
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Events like moving to a new neighborhood, buying a new car, changing jobs or even adjusting one’s daily commute can be enough to warrant a review of one’s risks and coverage.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One of the provisions of Measure C is to allocate revenue from the hotel tax boost in varying percentages, depending on the use.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Because her aunts decide her mother is too poor to raise her children, Fanny, age ten, is delivered like a parcel to Mansfield Park where she is given a large prosperous family who treat her with varying levels of indifference and contempt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Last week, Graham Knaus, the chief executive of the California State Association of Counties, criticized Newsom’s budget for not responding to the cost burdens shifting to local governments.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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In Huntington Beach, the coastal community has long had a reputation as a Southern California stronghold for Republicans, though its politics have recently been shifting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutating. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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