sequence

[ see-kwuhns ]

/ ˈsi kwəns /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for sequence on Thesaurus.com

noun

the following of one thing after another; succession.

order of succession: a list of books in alphabetical sequence.

a continuous or connected series: a sonnet sequence.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

verb (used with object), se·quenced, se·quenc·ing.

to place in a sequence.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR sequence

2 arrangement.

4 outcome, sequel.

See synonyms for sequence on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for sequence

1. See series.

historical usage of sequence

The original meaning of sequence in Middle English was “a hymn sung after the gradual and before the gospel during Mass.” The Middle English noun comes from Old French sequence, whose original sense, dating from the second half of the 12th century, was the same as in Middle English. Old French sequence comes from Medieval Latin sequentia, with the same original meaning.
Sequentia is a feminine noun formed from sequēns (inflectional stem sequent- ), the present participle of the verb sequī “to follow,” and the noun suffix -ia . A sequentia was so called because it followed the Alleluia (a liturgical chant in which the word Alleluia (Hallelujah) is combined with scriptural verses, usually from the Psalms).
The usual, typical sense of sequence, “the succession of one thing after another,” first appears in 1575.

OTHER WORDS FROM sequence

un·der·se·quence, nounun·se·quenced, adjective

Words nearby sequence

seqq., sequacious, sequel, sequela, sequelize, sequence, sequence of tenses, sequencer, sequencing, sequent, sequential

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sequence in a sentence

Then they can fasten on extra pieces and punch in sequences to make it pull off tricks like transforming into a bulldozer.
These three robots can teach kids how to code|John Kennedy|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
They started by assembling and analyzing the whole genome sequence of the Elaeis guineensis oil palm.
The Environmental Headache in Your Shampoo - Issue 90: Something Green|Anastasia Bendebury & Michael Shilo DeLay|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
The sequence is continued until all 435 races are simulated.
The Forecast: The Methodology Behind Our 2020 Election Model|Daniel Malloy|September 10, 2020|Ozy
Students need to know that science is not just a sequence of geniuses making one discovery after another.
A secret of science: Mistakes boost understanding|Rachel Kehoe|September 10, 2020|Science News For Students

Then the embryo takes over and a strict sequence of embryonic genes kicks in, setting up more features.
How Two Became One: Origins of a Mysterious Symbiosis Found|Viviane Callier|September 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine
And with the dance sequence, we wanted something very physical.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So too with a vaccine that provokes a specific immune response aimed at a specific RNA sequence.
When You Get the Flu This Winter, You Can Blame Anti-Vaxxers|Kent Sepkowitz|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The studio seemed to be satisfied with the results—although still opted to censor the death sequence in many foreign territories.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Say State Department Blessed Kim Jong-Un Assassination in ‘The Interview’|William Boot|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Movie buffs have commented endlessly on the bell-tower sequence in Vertigo.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The central thrust of the sequence derives from historical fact.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First I had better fix the sequence of the munition cables, for upon them the whole attack has hung—or rather, hung fire.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Naturally and without the least effort the aptest words sprang to his lips in perfect order and sequence.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
But here it is arranged in temporal sequence, thus giving us a concrete view of the man and his relation to this society.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Five years of warfare and its sequence—the bandit community—had devastated the provinces.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
And still the grizzled old skipper would go on, though it was touch-and-go every time a sequence of strong seas came howling down.
The Chequers|James Runciman

British Dictionary definitions for sequence

sequence

/ (ˈsiːkwəns) /

noun

an arrangement of two or more things in a successive order

the successive order of two or more thingschronological sequence

a sequentially ordered set of related things or ideas

an action or event that follows another or others

cards a set of three or more consecutive cards, usually of the same suit
bridge a set of two or more consecutive cards

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

maths

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

a section of a film constituting a single continuous uninterrupted episode

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

RC Church another word for prose (def. 4)

verb (tr)

to arrange in a sequence

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

Word Origin for sequence

C14: from Medieval Latin sequentia that which follows, from Latin sequī to follow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sequence

sequence

[ sē′kwəns ]

Noun

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, 12, 13, 14, … 1n}. Also called progression

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.

Verb

To determine the order of subunits of a polymer.

sequence

OTHER WORDS FOR sequence

Origin of sequence

synonym study for sequence

historical usage of sequence

OTHER WORDS FROM sequence

Words nearby sequence

Words related to sequence

How to use sequence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sequence

Word Origin for sequence

Scientific definitions for sequence