as in changes
to pass from one form, state, or level to another
colored lights that slowly mutate from green to blue and so on across the color spectrum
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Recent Examples of mutates
Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility.
—
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
24 June 2026
Measles mutates slowly enough that researchers can in many cases search for essentially the same strain when tracking its movements.
—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
7 Aug. 2025
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
24 June 2026
Measles mutates slowly enough that researchers can in many cases search for essentially the same strain when tracking its movements.
—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutates
Verb
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Both her steel hull and aluminum superstructure are finished in a custom warm gray hue with a subtle pearlescent quality that changes with light.
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After that 18-month trial, patients could lose access to Medicare coverage for GLP-1s used for weight loss unless the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issues an extension or Congress changes the law, according to Cubanski.
Verb
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What that means is, flying from point A to point B often varies in price based on demand, and the same room at a hotel could cost more on Friday than on Tuesday.
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Seed packages run around $5, but the number of seeds varies quite a bit, so check which gives you the most bang for the buck.
Verb
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That surge in demand should boost Marvell's shares as the company increasingly shifts its focus to CXL products, Arcuri added.
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However, curators say that framing fans as fine art intentionally shifts the perception of what a world-class museum can present.
Verb
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Consumer spending typically fluctuates during major events, with activity often peaking around marquee matchups, weekend games and knockout-round contests that attract larger crowds and longer visitor stays.
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The movement, with an 80-hour power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz, is also home to a perpetual calendar and an equation of time display, showing the difference between mean solar time, shown on the main dial, and true solar time, which fluctuates due to the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
Cite this Entry
“Mutates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutates. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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