deoxyribose

noun

de·oxy·ri·bose (ˌ)dē-ˌäk-si-ˈrī-ˌbōs

-ˌbōz

: a pentose sugar C₅H₁₀O₄ that is a structural element of DNA

Examples of deoxyribose in a Sentence

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Moreover, the sugar in DNA, deoxyribose, [is] made from ribose by a large, complicated protein. — Gregory J Rummo, Sun Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025 Moreover, the sugar in DNA, deoxyribose, (is) made from ribose by a large, complicated protein. — Gregory J. Rummo, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025 For life on Earth, the sugars deoxyribose – which the researchers did not detect – and ribose are key building blocks of DNA and RNA, respectively. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025 The study’s findings also indicate that the sugar ribose, which is one of the building blocks for RNA, may have been more widespread in the early solar system than deoxyribose, a building block of DNA. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Dec. 2025 To create XNAs, Holliger and his team replaced the deoxyribose with alternative synthetic chemical ring structures such as arabinose or cyclohexene. — Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2013 And their discovery of much more ribose than of any deoxyribose (the D in DNA) points to the theory that RNA is in fact the ancestor of DNA. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019

Word History

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First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

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The first known use of deoxyribose was in 1938

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“Deoxyribose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deoxyribose. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

deoxyribose

noun

de·oxy·ri·bose dē-ˌäk-sē-ˈrī-ˌbōs

: a sugar that has five carbon atoms and four oxygen atoms in each molecule and is part of DNA compare ribose

Medical Definition

deoxyribose

noun

de·oxy·ri·bose (ˌ)dē-ˌäk-si-ˈrī-ˌbōs, -ˌbōz

variants also desoxyribose

ˌdes-

: a pentose sugar C₅H₁₀O₄ that is a structural element of DNA

deoxyribose

noun

Examples of deoxyribose in a Sentence

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