metamorphose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to change the form or nature of; transform.
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to subject to metamorphosis or metamorphism.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
Ms Rusk was notably named Best Hairdresser in the World four times by French magazine, Metamorphose.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2022
The Metamorphose is forcible, perhaps it has more force and wit than elegance.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2 No 4, October, 1862 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various
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.
