sequence

American  

[see-kwuhns] / ˈsi kwəns /

noun

• sequences
  plural

1. the following of one thing after another; succession.

2. order of succession.

   a list of books in alphabetical sequence.

   Synonyms:

   arrangement

3. a continuous or connected series.

   a sonnet sequence.

4. something that follows; a subsequent event; result; consequence.

   Synonyms:

   sequel, outcome

5. Music. a melodic or harmonic pattern repeated three or more times at different pitches with or without modulation.

6. Liturgy. a hymn sometimes sung after the gradual and before the gospel; prose.

7. Movies. a series of related scenes or shots, as those taking place in one locale or at one time, that make up one episode of the film narrative.

8. Cards. a series of three or more cards following one another in order of value, especially of the same suit.

9. Genetics. the linear order of monomers in a polymer, as nucleotides in DNA or amino acids in a protein.

10. Mathematics. a set whose elements have an order similar to that of the positive integers; a map from the positive integers to a given set.

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verb (used with object)

• sequences,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sequenced,
  past participle,  past
• sequencing
  present participle

1. to place in a sequence.

2. Biochemistry. to determine the order of (chemical units in a polymer chain), especially nucleotides in DNA or RNA or amino acids in a protein.

sequence British  

/ ˈsiːkwəns /

noun

1. an arrangement of two or more things in a successive order

2. the successive order of two or more things

   chronological sequence

3. a sequentially ordered set of related things or ideas

4. an action or event that follows another or others

5. 1. cards a set of three or more consecutive cards, usually of the same suit

   2. bridge a set of two or more consecutive cards

6. music an arrangement of notes or chords repeated several times at different pitches

7. maths

   1. an ordered set of numbers or other mathematical entities in one-to-one correspondence with the integers 1 to n

   2. an ordered infinite set of mathematical entities in one-to-one correspondence with the natural numbers

8. a section of a film constituting a single continuous uninterrupted episode

9. biochem the unique order of amino acids in the polypeptide chain of a protein or of nucleotides in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA

10. RC Church another word for prose

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verb

1. to arrange in a sequence

2. biochem to determine the order of the units comprising (a protein, nucleic acid, genome, etc)

sequence Scientific  

/ sē′kwəns /

1. A set of quantities ordered in the same manner as the positive integers, in which there is always the same relation between each quantity and the one succeeding it. A sequence can be finite, such as {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}, or it can be infinite, such as {1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, … 1/n}.

2. Also called progression

3. The order of subunits that make up a polymer, especially the order of nucleotides in a nucleic acid or of the amino acids in a protein.

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1. To determine the order of subunits of a polymer.

Synonym Usage

See series.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undersequence
  noun
• unsequenced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sequences
  plural

Participles

• sequencing
  present
• sequenced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sequence
  simple
• sequences
  simple
• have sequenced
  perfect
• has sequenced
  perfect
• am sequencing
  progressive
• are sequencing
  progressive
• is sequencing
  progressive
• have been sequencing
  perfect progressive
• has been sequencing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sequenced
  simple
• had sequenced
  perfect
• was sequencing
  progressive
• were sequencing
  progressive
• had been sequencing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sequence
  simple
• will have sequenced
  perfect
• will be sequencing
  progressive
• will have been sequencing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sequence

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin sequentia, equivalent to sequ- (stem of sequī “to follow”) + -entia noun suffix; see -ence

Explanation

When things come in sequence, they come in a specific order. It could be a chronological sequence, a sequence following a pattern (red-blue-brown, red-blue-brown), or a cause-and-effect sequence. Sequence can also be a verb. When you sequence something, you put it in order. The prom committee had the task of sequencing dance music––even if playing "Celebrate" as the final dance and not the first felt out of sequence to the DJ, it was their call.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sequence sequences sequenced sequencing

The dance sequence at Nevermore Academy’s Venetian Gala is part of a larger scheme for “Wednesday’s” titular character, and Agnes, who can turn invisible, plays a big role in it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Niu Lai, a low-budget animation film about a cow in a dream sequence has seen a huge jump in ticket sales after going viral for its confusing plot and terrible graphics.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

By the third image in the sequence, the two objects line up, and Earth briefly disappears behind the shadowed edge of the small moon.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

One fascinating sequence of photos records the actual detonation on July 16, 1945.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

And even though I was only half Persian, I had inherited a full-strength tea-loving gene sequence from my mom.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Patterson and editor Patrick J. Smith interweave scenes of intrigue and shocking violence, take liberties with Amziah’s storytelling asides and give us barn-burning musical sequences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Liverpool have often pressed in a 4-4-2 diamond shape, initially encouraging opponents to play short before launching more aggressive pressing sequences, often funnelling the ball centrally before trying to win it back.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Samuel King, a graduate student at Stanford University and an author of the study, said the team sought a deeper understanding of the DNA sequences that form all life on Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The team made the discovery using a new method that examines hundreds of present-day human genomes and reconstructs ancient genealogical connections among their DNA sequences.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

She charts sequences and events with colored pencils, shuffling her diagrams until they start to make sense, a possible narrative.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Unlike traditional posthumous albums that stitch together loose verses, “Prolific” was recorded and sequenced nearly two years before Hussle’s death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The scientists then sequenced the genomes of nearly 600 tumors.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

It's sequenced with another cross-generational saga, The Test, where Madonna and her eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon, thrash out their differences over a spacious, trancey instrumental.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Jefferies analyst Randal Konik described Denton’s appointment as “another deliberate step in Hill’s sequenced turnaround” in a research note Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Behind the wall is a world of dark lines and streaks of light, sequenced into detailed patterns.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Because of its unusually good preservation, the fossil gave researchers an opportunity to apply several modern techniques, including protein sequencing and mass spectrometry.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

They can also be costly because identifying weak cancer signals often requires extensive sequencing.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

They questioned whether all small arms would be decommissioned and the sequencing of the plan.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

But that was at odds with the militant group’s understanding of the sequencing and added to the stress on the deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

In a blink of pure fantasy, I suddenly saw myself walking away from Dell Duke's grimy car with a tiny glass vial of her blood sample for genome sequencing.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Related Words

• arrangement
• array
• progression
• string