sequence
Americannoun
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the following of one thing after another; succession.
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order of succession.
a list of books in alphabetical sequence.
- Synonyms:
- arrangement
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a continuous or connected series.
a sonnet sequence.
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something that follows; a subsequent event; result; consequence.
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Music. a melodic or harmonic pattern repeated three or more times at different pitches with or without modulation.
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Liturgy. a hymn sometimes sung after the gradual and before the gospel; prose.
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Movies. a series of related scenes or shots, as those taking place in one locale or at one time, that make up one episode of the film narrative.
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Cards. a series of three or more cards following one another in order of value, especially of the same suit.
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Genetics. the linear order of monomers in a polymer, as nucleotides in DNA or amino acids in a protein.
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Mathematics. a set whose elements have an order similar to that of the positive integers; a map from the positive integers to a given set.
verb (used with object)
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to place in a sequence.
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Biochemistry. to determine the order of (chemical units in a polymer chain), especially nucleotides in DNA or RNA or amino acids in a protein.
noun
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an arrangement of two or more things in a successive order
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the successive order of two or more things
chronological sequence
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a sequentially ordered set of related things or ideas
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an action or event that follows another or others
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cards a set of three or more consecutive cards, usually of the same suit
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bridge a set of two or more consecutive cards
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music an arrangement of notes or chords repeated several times at different pitches
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maths
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an ordered set of numbers or other mathematical entities in one-to-one correspondence with the integers 1 to n
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an ordered infinite set of mathematical entities in one-to-one correspondence with the natural numbers
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a section of a film constituting a single continuous uninterrupted episode
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biochem the unique order of amino acids in the polypeptide chain of a protein or of nucleotides in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA
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RC Church another word for prose
verb
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to arrange in a sequence
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biochem to determine the order of the units comprising (a protein, nucleic acid, genome, etc)
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A set of quantities ordered in the same manner as the positive integers, in which there is always the same relation between each quantity and the one succeeding it. A sequence can be finite, such as {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}, or it can be infinite, such as {1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, … 1/n}.
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Also called progression
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The order of subunits that make up a polymer, especially the order of nucleotides in a nucleic acid or of the amino acids in a protein.
Synonym Usage
See series.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sequencesimple
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sequencessimple
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have sequencedperfect
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has sequencedperfect
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am sequencingprogressive
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are sequencingprogressive
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is sequencingprogressive
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have been sequencingperfect progressive
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has been sequencingperfect progressive
Past
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sequencedsimple
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had sequencedperfect
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was sequencingprogressive
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were sequencingprogressive
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had been sequencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sequence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin sequentia, equivalent to sequ- (stem of sequī “to follow”) + -entia noun suffix; see -ence
Explanation
When things come in sequence, they come in a specific order. It could be a chronological sequence, a sequence following a pattern (red-blue-brown, red-blue-brown), or a cause-and-effect sequence. Sequence can also be a verb. When you sequence something, you put it in order. The prom committee had the task of sequencing dance music––even if playing "Celebrate" as the final dance and not the first felt out of sequence to the DJ, it was their call.
Vocabulary lists containing sequence
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Latin Love, Vol III: seguire
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Algebra
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Hades sequence gets much of its emotional weight from Page, as Sinon confronts Odysseus with the lie that sent him to his death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Fewer fires, it said, "interrupts a sequence of years of fire expansion and returns the country to a historically lower level of burned area."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
To create the sequence, Nolan’s team built a sort of silo on the beach, rigging it with minuscule LED lights to mimic sunlight leaking through chinks in the horse’s hull.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
However, Anton Lienert-Brown's late score wrapped up an emphatic win for the three-time world champions, who stretched their undefeated Eden Park sequence to 53 Tests.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
In the precious final minutes he wrote out his address for her, a bleak sequence of acronyms and numbers.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
He said GenAI workflows have now been used on roughly 300 Netflix titles, mostly in post-production, adding: "We're leveraging GenAI for really complicated shots and sequences."
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
One of the more remarkable sequences captured by Ms. Du Feng is a showdown between Hao and his wife, who is also a dating coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
"That is why enzymatic synthesis in water can matter. If far more than 64 sequences can be synthesized in parallel, it could offer an environmentally friendly route toward writing DNA at very large scale."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
For the filmed sequences, Weist worked with cinematographer and visual artist Abigail Raphael Collins, whose research has explored the role Hollywood has played in constructing public perceptions of American state power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Learning sequences in music: A contemporary music learning theory.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
It's sequenced with another cross-generational saga, The Test, where Madonna and her eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon, thrash out their differences over a spacious, trancey instrumental.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Scientists sequenced DNA from tissue samples that veterinarians had previously collected for diagnostic purposes.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
He said he expected refined products to be “secondary” and be sequenced in over the next eight to 18 months.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
“Sucker for Love” has the effervescence of an ’80s synth-pop tune in the vein of Madonna’s first album, with more open space in the sequenced rhythms and a bouncy melody packed with hooks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Similar to other sequenced learning approaches, such as Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development or scaffolding, Gordon’s approach relies on a gradual increase in skill level difficulty as the student progresses.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The diagnostics division of the Swiss pharma group is launching Axelios 1, a new sequencing product that has a cost and speed advantage over Illumina’s rival product NovaSeq X Plus, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
When scientists cracked the human genome in 2003 – sequencing the entire genetic code of a human being – many expected it would unlock the secrets of disease.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
Even with today's advanced DNA sequencing technologies, the underlying genetic causes of many rare movement disorders remain unknown.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026
“This year, especially, I feel like we’re focusing on talking about game plan and sequencing, because I feel healthy right now,” Sasaki said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
“So, in the event of a self-destruct initiation, the only way to stop the sequencing is by making and uploading a full PowerPoint presentation? “
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.