Trivia Time

Who was the first European to describe the Fibonacci sequence of numbers?

Test Your Knowledge

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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

In 1930 the Swedish film “Farornas Ö” recorded life on the island as one long sequence of hazards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

November's event is particularly noteworthy because it begins a sequence of three consecutive supermoons.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

Even a sequence of testimonials during a makeshift mid-protest hearing, though well-written and well-acted, feels rushed for impact rather than finessed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

There is a particular little sequence to my autumn evenings that I’ve come to adore.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

It doesn’t matter where the placeholder 0 sits; it can be anywhere in the number sequence.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

In this role, Bellingham drove into the final third with pace and showed intensity during pressing sequences.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

But while “Everest: The Other Side” includes countless breathtaking sequences of Earth’s tallest mountain and plenty of nail-biting anxiety in the eventual summit push and ski attempt, those moments are merely the film’s selling points.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

In time Mr. Quan pivoted successfully to choreographing action sequences for film and television before deciding at almost 50 that he wanted to return to acting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The blockbuster franchise has moved away from its emphasis on storytelling to prioritize big fights and action sequences, the “Spider-Noir” actor lamented during a recent appearance at Fan Expo Dallas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

He explains the branches of marine evolution and the sequences of the geologic periods; on her best days, she glimpses the limitless span of millennia behind her: millions of years, tens of millions.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Scientists initially sequenced three genes commonly used to identify and classify corals.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Even before the human genome was fully sequenced, the biologist Sydney Brenner said that with a complete DNA sequence and a sufficiently large computer, he could “compute the organism.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

A patient’s tumor is surgically removed and then sequenced, allowing researchers to figure out which mutated proteins are expressed on the cancer cells.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Thousands of animal genomes have now been sequenced, but comparing their long-term evolution has remained difficult.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

According to Annabeth, who’d seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tighdy they’d look like frames of animation across the sky.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

“RMS expects production to increase quarter-on-quarter with higher grade mine sequencing planned at both Dalgaranga and Cue,” which should reduce costs, Redfern says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

To investigate these differences, the research team examined genetic sequencing results alongside extensive medical information from more than 4,600 patients diagnosed with MASLD.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

Dr. McGowan said: "It's sheer luck we chose this protist to test our sequencing pipeline, and it just shows what's out there, highlighting just how little we know about the genetics of protists."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

That’s a tricky decision to make, because the criteria for impactful album sequencing are not at all the same for a live show.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Fluent writers have these constructions at their fingertips to simultaneously control the content of a sentence and the sequencing of its words.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• arrangement
• array
• progression
• string

---