basal metabolic rate

noun

: the rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest

Examples of basal metabolic rate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The importance of movement Your overall calorie burn is a combination of several things: the energy needed to keep your body humming (known as basal metabolic rate) and to digest your food, as well as intentional exercise and all your other daily movements. Christina Stiehl, SELF, 2 Feb. 2026 Foundational research from the 1980s and 1990s based on the 23-day Tour de France bike race set that limit at four to five times a person’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), defined as the energy required to maintain the body at rest. Jason Dinh, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025 Here’s the link between amount of exercise per week and risk of colon cancer: Exercise is measured in MET-hours, which is basically multiples of your basal metabolic rate. Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Aug. 2025 The spa features the InBody 570 Analysis, a comprehensive diagnostic tool that measures body composition, muscle mass, basal metabolic rate and water distribution. Roger Sands, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for basal metabolic rate

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of basal metabolic rate was in 1917

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Cite this Entry

“Basal metabolic rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basal%20metabolic%20rate. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

basal metabolic rate

noun
: the rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest

Medical Definition

basal metabolic rate

noun
: the rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest

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