Mutate

//mjuːˈteɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To undergo mutation. intransitive

    "The virus has mutated into a more resilient version."

  2. 2
    undergo mutation wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause mutation. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
accommodateadaptadjustalteramelioratebe changed

Example

More examples

"The virus is starting to mutate."

Etymology

First attested in 1796; back-formation from mutation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), ultimately from Latin mūtō (“to exchange; to change, to vary”). Doublet of moult.

Related phrases

mutatis mutandis

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.