Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

glycogen

American  
[glahy-kuh-juhn, -jen] / ˈglaɪ kə dʒən, -ˌdʒɛn /

noun

Biochemistry.

  1. a white, tasteless polysaccharide, (C 6 H 10 O5 ) n , molecularly similar to starch, constituting the principal carbohydrate storage material in animals and occurring chiefly in the liver, in muscle, and in fungi and yeasts.

glycogen British  
/ -dʒɛn, ˈɡlaɪkəʊdʒən, ˌɡlaɪkəʊˈdʒɛnɪk /

noun

  1. Also called: animal starch.  a polysaccharide consisting of glucose units: the form in which carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles in man and animals. It can easily be hydrolysed to glucose

"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
glycogen Scientific  
/ glī′kə-jən /

  1. A polysaccharide stored in animal liver and muscle cells that is easily converted to glucose to meet metabolic energy requirements. Most of the carbohydrate energy stored in animal cells is in the form of glycogen.

Other Word Forms

  • glycogenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of glycogen

First recorded in 1855–60; glyco- + -gen

Compare meaning

How does glycogen compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Vocabulary lists containing glycogen

Nutrition - High School

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Biochemistry

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Nutrition and Digestion - High School

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

"Clinical trials to determine whether glycogen degradation in ALS/FTD patients could slow disease progression are also supported by our findings and could begin in a year."

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Unlike carbohydrates, which are stored in muscle and liver as glycogen, and fats, which are stored in adipose tissue, we have nowhere to store excess protein/amino acids.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2024

Its energy storage includes fat, blood glucose, and glycogen, a form of glucose your body stores in your liver and muscles.

From Slate • Sep. 9, 2023

But as carbohydrate molecules bind with water, this means that when the body stores glycogen, it also stores water in the muscles.

From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023

It stores sugar in the form of glycogen and releases it as glucose in carefully measured quantities to keep the blood sugar at a normal level.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.