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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The game-changing play of the Florida Panthers’ 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, in the eyes of the Panthers’ goaltender, shouldn’t have counted.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
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What's changing Social Security's outlook?—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unlike dining at a restaurant or ordering an Uber, the etiquette of tipping at sea can be confusing, with varying policies and pre-set service charges.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2026
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When the case began, the jury was evenly split between women and men of varying ages.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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No, not the KC Roos, who are in shifting times.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
28 Feb. 2026
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Rather than sell at lower valuations, some managers are shifting assets into continuation vehicles, which allow private equity firms to offer liquidity to investors while still holding onto the assets, effectively buying time.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutating. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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