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
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
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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County supervisors are considering a proposal that changes who gets final decision-making power in contract disputes involving public safety workers.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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But then an incident at the premiere of their new play changes everything.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The flagship campus in Austin admits roughly around 27–30 % of applicants overall, though that number varies significantly between Texas residents and out-of-state applicants.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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The amount of collagen varies in different parts of the bird.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When a word feels too abstract, Jacobs shifts the phrasing, lowers the tempo or elongates a syllable until Siena grasps it.—
Reylee Billingsley,
AZCentral.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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In the ad, Yang and Hamm appear to be a bit salty that they weren’t invited to a party on Ritz island, though The Avengers star quickly shifts their mood, and the three jet ski through the sands of the bash.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Choose flexible clothing Tami Harrigan, a style coach at Exclusively Styled, suggests choosing clothes that are comfortable, stylish, and can also be worn as your size fluctuates over the next few months.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
28 Jan. 2026
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The role is one that fluctuates between the longing of youth and the realities of aging, with her strength found inside subtlety.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutates. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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