active transport

[ ak-tiv trans-pawrt ]

/ ˈæk tɪv ˈtræns pɔrt /

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noun

the movement of ions or molecules across a cellular membrane from a lower to a higher concentration, requiring the consumption of energy.

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Origin of active transport

First recorded in 1960–65

Words nearby active transport

active safety, active service, active shooter, active site, active sun, active transport, active vocabulary, active voice, activewear, activin, activism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use active transport in a sentence

“The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program,” the Times reported.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, the underground tunnels that were used to transport booze and, if necessary, escaping patrons, are off-limits.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eventually, their output is worth five times that much to those who transport it globally.
BBC Reporter Gets High On The Job|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Almost immediately, another group active at the protests called the Justice League snitches.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands|Jacob Siegel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Along the river, crumbling remnants of an active trading hub are overtaken by nature.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We must have motif first, then technique to adapt and adjust expression and to develop facility in the active agents.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The improvement of transport still further swelled the volume of production.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
With the announcement of the thirty-six directors, it was possible to proceed to the active opening of the institutions.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
He became one of the assistants of Mr. Wesley, and was active in the service of the church.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The opposite of these two methods of rote learning is my method, which injects an active process between each pair of words.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for active transport

active transport

noun

biochem physiol a process by which molecules are enabled to pass across a membrane from a region in which they are in a low concentration to one of high concentration; this requires the expenditure of energy in metabolism and is assisted by carrier proteins, commonly referred to as pumps

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for active transport

active transport

The movement of ions or molecules across a cell membrane in the direction opposite that of diffusion, that is, from an area of lower concentration to one of higher concentration. Active transport requires the assistance of a type of protein called a carrier protein, using energy supplied by ATP.