metabolism
Americannoun
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metabolisms
plural
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Biology, Physiology. the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.
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any basic process of organic functioning or operating.
changes in the country's economic metabolism.
noun
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the sum total of the chemical processes that occur in living organisms, resulting in growth, production of energy, elimination of waste material, etc See anabolism basal metabolism catabolism
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the sum total of the chemical processes affecting a particular substance in the body
carbohydrate metabolism
iodine metabolism
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The chemical processes by which cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life. As part of metabolism, organic compounds are broken down to provide heat and energy in the process called catabolism. Simpler molecules are also used to build more complex compounds like proteins for growth and repair of tissues as part of anabolism. Many metabolic processes are brought about by the action of enzymes. The overall speed at which an organism carries out its metabolic processes is termed its metabolic rate (or, when the organism is at rest, its basal metabolic rate). Birds, for example, have a high metabolic rate, since they are warm-blooded, and their usual method of locomotion, flight, requires large amounts of energy. Accordingly, birds usually need large amounts of high-quality, energy-rich foods such as seeds or meat, which they must eat frequently.
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See more at cellular respiration
Discover More
In humans, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food; persons with a high metabolism can eat more without gaining weight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of metabolism
First recorded in 1875–80; from Greek metabol(ḗ) “change” (from meta- meta- + bolḗ “a throw”) + -ism
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Explanation
Your metabolism is the result of all the processes in your body working together to create the energy that keeps you going. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body's many processes function, and it can be low, high, or somewhere in the middle. When you're younger, your high metabolism makes it easy to lose weight but as you get older your metabolism slows down and you might put on a few pounds. Exercising speeds up your metabolism. This word also refers to the sudden transformation of a larva into an adult in some animals.
Vocabulary lists containing metabolism
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Power Suffix: -ism
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"Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center," Vocabulary from the speech
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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:
Because this hormone helps control glucose and fat metabolism, inadequate sleep may contribute to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Because muscles play an important role in metabolism, their deterioration can affect far more than physical strength.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
In induced neurons, increased recycling activity was connected to weaker grip strength, lower metabolism, and a higher resting heart rate.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
One important finding involved PPAR-alpha, a protein that helps regulate fat metabolism in the liver.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
If sugar was sugar was sugar—if the metabolism of lactose was no different from that of glucose—then one might have expected bacteria fed on the glucose/lactose mix to exhibit the same smooth arc of growth.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The higher temperatures promote algae growth by allowing their metabolisms to shift into overdrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Smaller animals also typically require more nutrient-dense food than larger ones, because they have faster metabolisms and consume more energy per unit of body mass.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2024
The authors also contest Herculano-Houzel's assumption that one can predict different dinosaurs' metabolisms, aging rates and other life history traits based on the existing data.
From Salon ● May 4, 2024
They can't support animal life, and are populated primarily by microbes and some very specialized fungi with different metabolisms than creatures in oxygen-rich environments.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 16, 2024
We really can't blame the crocodiles for their metabolisms.
From The Forest Monster of Oz by Bob Evans
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