kinase

American

[kahy-nays, -nayz, kin-ays, -ayz] / ˈkaɪ neɪs, -neɪz, ˈkɪn eɪs, -eɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

a transferase that catalyzes the phosphorylation of a substrate by ATP.

kinase British

/ ˈkaɪneɪz, ˈkɪn- /

noun

any enzyme that can convert an inactive zymogen to the corresponding enzyme
any enzyme that brings about the phosphorylation of a molecule

"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

kinase Scientific

/ kī′nās′,-nāz′,kĭn′ās′,-āz′ /

Any of various enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a phosphate group from a donor, such as ADP or ATP, to an acceptor.

Etymology

Origin of kinase

First recorded in 1900–05; kin(etic) + -ase

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:

kinase

Bexobrutideg, a BTK kinase degrader, works by destroying target proteins rather than simply turning them off.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

JAK inhibitors are therapeutic agents that block Janus kinase enzymes to treat diseases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

Both the Terns pill, code-named TERN-701, and Scemblix are second-generation versions of drugs that inhibit a growth promoter of cancer cells, called tyrosine kinase.

From Barron's ● Dec. 9, 2025

In testing this theory, the researchers found that they could recreate the disease in human liver cells just by increasing the amount of the normal kinase.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2024

But cells containing an addition to their catalytic subunit generate the kinase in excessive amounts -- which is the real culprit.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2024

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