metamorphose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to change the form or nature of; transform.
-
to subject to metamorphosis or metamorphism.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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metamorphosesimple
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metamorphosessimple
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have metamorphosedperfect
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has metamorphosedperfect
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am metamorphosingprogressive
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are metamorphosingprogressive
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is metamorphosingprogressive
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have been metamorphosingperfect progressive
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has been metamorphosingperfect progressive
Past
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metamorphosedsimple
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had metamorphosedperfect
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was metamorphosingprogressive
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were metamorphosingprogressive
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had been metamorphosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of metamorphose
First recorded in 1570–80; back formation from metamorphosis
Explanation
If you've ever seen a caterpillar emerge from its cocoon transformed into a butterfly, you've watched it metamorphose, or change completely. Use the verb metamorphose to describe a total transformation, like an egg into a bird or a seed into a tomato plant. When someone or something changes in appearance, they also metamorphose, the way a messy kid does when he tucks in his shirt and combs his hair. The origins of the word metamorphose lie in the Greek meta, or "change," and morphe, "form."
Vocabulary lists containing metamorphose
Challenge, List 1
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Metamorphoses
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 19
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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:
Lightbox portraits metamorphose into 18th-century figures with stories to tell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
As in, they'll be so desperate to keep the series alive in Melbourne on Saturday they'll metamorphose into a team of belligerence and belief - a band of brothers who will blow the Lions away.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2025
Previous studies had found that smooth muscle cells metamorphose into different types of cells inside these atherosclerotic plaques and multiply to make up most cells within the plaques.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024
The axolotl is one of four central Mexico species that rarely, if ever, metamorphose in the wild.
From Science Magazine ● May 8, 2023
She will metamorphose into a wife or consort and raise faerie children who will adore and outlive her.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
"Just like butterflies, corals also undergo different metamorphoses and stages."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
Notably, music emerges as the most honest vehicle for them to bond over, and as the cinematic element that most closely parallels Freddie’s metamorphoses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
Physical metamorphoses, of course, have long been part of the actor’s life and feature heavily in award-season narratives — though they’re often hailed as a form of art, not as a how-to manual.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022
In a book about death, it’s not surprising that Davis is fixated on metamorphoses and thresholds.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2022
Fortunately, today’s scientists, historians, and art collectors have rediscovered and acknowledged her work for what it is: amazingly beautiful, accurate portrayals of insect metamorphoses and ecosystems.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Witkoff is part of a small cadre of Trump administration offspring who, since their fathers moved to Washington, have metamorphosed into wealthy financial celebrities in their own right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
The musicians metamorphosed into their final form: Adopting the name Black Sabbath, after a low-budget Boris Karloff film of the same name, they started writing lyrics that dabbled in death, black magic and mental illness.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025
And this man once seen as a performative figure — a political sideshow — has metamorphosed into a towering and singular figure in America whose significance goes far beyond politics.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
"These metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that have melted and produced granites that concentrate uranium and thorium are like black box flight recorders that record pressure and temperature," Smye said.
From Science Daily ● May 8, 2024
The imp instantly metamorphosed into a plump fairy with coppery wings.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Ten years apart, the changes to his free-kick technique demonstrated how Bale could transform his game over the course of a stellar career; a player of rare - and metamorphosing - quality.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2022
The trick to controlling sea lampreys is preventing them from metamorphosing and moving beyond the streams, Gaden said.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2022
Meanwhile, he feels himself metamorphosing: “Like that morning, everything inside him seemed damp and mortified, shrunken, slowly rotting.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2020
Peterson’s production — duskily lighted by Peter Maradudin on a quickly metamorphosing set by Myung Hee Cho and featuring a coordinated ensemble that grasps the feeling underlying the drama — has a discreet efficiency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2019
We can never let up; we scramble our way through one civilization after another, metamorphosing, sprouting tools and cities everywhere, and all the time new words keep tumbling out.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
