self-replicating
Americanadjective
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reproducing itself by its own power or inherent nature.
self-replicating organisms.
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Genetics. making an exact copy or copies of itself, as a strand of DNA.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-replicating
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
It goes on, and on, and on, self-replicating in the infinite scroll.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
Curiously, of the 4.9 billion reactions generated, only hundreds of reaction cycles could be called "self-replicating," which means that the molecules produce additional copies of themselves.
From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024
The device uses self-replicating microorganisms to turn scraps into compost.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2023
This implies that self-replicating probes could reach ten billion habitable planets around Sun-like stars in less than a billion years.
From Salon • Oct. 9, 2022
I deposited Laleh in the kitchen with Mamou, who tried to feed Sohrab more Nowruz leftovers—it seemed they were self-replicating, and we might never run out—before we left again.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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.
