mutate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Genes can be expressed or activated, or not—more often they’re not; they mutate and can alter their own function and be altered by environmental forces.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

Most efforts to create broader vaccines have aimed to protect against an entire viral family, such as all coronaviruses or all influenza strains, by targeting viral components that mutate less frequently.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

While viruses are technically not alive, it is their nature to mutate and evolve.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2025

Epidemiologists and virologists worry that avian influenza could generate a pandemic if allowed to spread and mutate.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

And if it should mutate in some other direction .

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston