noun

gene

/dʒiːn/ · say it: JEEN

a unit of heredity that carries a trait

In more detail

1. (noun) a unit of DNA that controls the development or function of a living thing and can be passed from parents to children

2. (noun) a factor or influence that affects how something develops or behaves

Examples

1. Humans have about 20,000 genes in each cell. 2. Hard work is a gene for success in business.

How to use gene

In its primary scientific sense, gene refers to a specific unit of hereditary material in DNA. In broader figurative usage, it can mean any hereditary or influential factor, though this extended sense is less common in academic writing. The word is neutral and appears frequently in biology, medicine, and popular science contexts.

Common phrases

genetic gene
gene pool
gene therapy
gene expression
carry a gene
pass on a gene

Synonyms

factor · element · influence · determinant

Word family

genetic · genetics · genetically · genome

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse gene with genome (the complete set of genes in an organism) or use 'gene' loosely to mean any inherited trait without understanding it refers to the molecular unit controlling that trait.

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