WordValemetabolism
the chemical processes that sustain life
In more detail
1. (noun) the chemical processes in your body that convert food into energy and keep you alive
2. (noun) the rate at which your body uses energy
Examples
- Your metabolism slows down as you get older.
- People with a fast metabolism can eat more without gaining weight.
How to use metabolism
Metabolism is used both as a general term for the biochemical processes that sustain life and more specifically to refer to how quickly or slowly someone's body burns calories. It is commonly used in health, fitness, and medical contexts, often with descriptive adjectives like 'fast' or 'slow' when discussing individual variation in energy expenditure.
Common phrases
- fast metabolism
- slow metabolism
- boost metabolism
- metabolic rate
- metabolic process
- metabolism speeds up
Synonyms
biochemical process · metabolic rate · energy conversion · bodily functions
Word family
metabolic (adjective) · metabolize (verb) · metabolically (adverb)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use 'metabolism' as a countable noun (saying 'a metabolism' in standard contexts) when it should be treated as uncountable; also, some conflate metabolism with diet or exercise rather than understanding it as an internal biological process.
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