genetic engineering
nounDefinition of genetic engineering
: the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of genetic engineering in a Sentence
The crops were made resistant to disease by genetic engineering.
Recent Examples on the Web
The tried and true tools of genetic engineering simply can't handle long stretches of DNA. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "Forget single genes: CRISPR now cuts and splices whole chromosomes," 29 Aug. 2019 The market is growing fast, because eggs are used today not merely for research on infertility but in stem cell and genetic engineering laboratories and firms. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Paying women to donate their eggs for research is still a terrible idea," 23 Aug. 2019 The New York Times reported that Epstein was enthralled by transhumanism: a science of genetic engineering that critics have called a modern-day version of eugenics or controlled breeding. — Fox News, "Jeffrey Epstein lured scientists with his wealth in scheme to spread his DNA: report," 1 Aug. 2019 Previous technological advances—irrigation, mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, genetic engineering—have allowed humans to grow more food with less work. — Jeremy Deaton, Quartz, "Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we farm," 24 July 2019 Impossible Foods produces soy leghemoglobin through genetic engineering and fermentation. — Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, "Looking for the Impossible Burger in Louisville? We made it possible," 17 May 2017 Biotech company Perfect Day debuted a lab-grown dairy ice cream that uses genetic engineering to recreate the proteins usually found in cow's milk. — Maddie Burakoff And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "National Ice Cream Day means free cones. Here's what to know about everyone's favorite frozen treat," 21 July 2019 Scientists these days are working on what might be the ultimate in rat control: a genetic engineering technique that would spread infertility genes through a wild rat population. — Charlie Hamilton James, National Geographic, "How rats became an inescapable part of city living," 17 June 2019 By the 1970s, many scientists were dreaming that new genetic engineering technologies might someday be used to create novel proteins with exceptional abilities, such as enzymes that could speed up drug manufacturing. — Quanta Magazine, "Three Biochemists Win Chemistry Nobel for Directing Evolution," 3 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genetic engineering.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for genetic engineering
genetic engineering
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of genetic engineering
: the science of making changes to the genes of a plant or animal to produce a desired result
See the full definition for genetic engineering in the English Language Learners Dictionary
genetic engineering
noun
\ -ˌen-jə-ˈnir-iŋ
\
\
Medical Definition of genetic engineering
: the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics