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

This gave H3N2 another chance to mutate, which is natural for viruses, and so it did.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2026

While human H5N1 cases have slowed, the virus’s potential to mutate for human-to-human transmission remains a public health concern.

From Barron's • Oct. 28, 2025

The aids virus and other emerging viruses are surviving the wreck of the tropical biosphere because they can mutate faster than any changes taking place in their ecosystems.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston