Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

acids

  • plural
    of acid.
    acid
    noun
    a compound usually having a sour taste and capable of neutralizing alkalis and reddening blue litmus paper, containing hydrogen that can be replaced by a metal or an electropositive group to form a salt, or containing an atom that can accept a pair of electrons from a base. Acids are proton donors that yield hydronium ions in water solution, or electron-pair acceptors that combine with electron-pair donors or bases.

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.

See Examples For:

The dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology was very familiar with this particular short chain of amino acids.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Ribonucleic acids act as messengers in living cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

The rover has found chemical traces left behind by this wetter period, including carbon-based molecules believed to be precursors to RNA and DNA, two nucleic acids that carry genetic information.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that our bodies produce and have long been used to treat medical conditions, including diabetes.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Much of the talk about the three-dimensional structure of proteins and nucleic acids was hot air.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson