What does metabolism mean?
Metabolism is the collective name for the chemical processes that allow living organisms to obtain energy, build and repair tissues, and maintain their internal balance. It includes the breakdown of nutrients and the synthesis of molecules, not merely digestion. In everyday discussion, the word often refers to a person's metabolic rate or to the speed with which the body processes energy. A person might say that exercise or sleep affects their metabolism, although the underlying biological changes are usually more complex than that simple implication suggests. The term also has a formal figurative use for the transformation and renewal of a place, institution, or system. Understanding metabolism is useful because it connects nutrition, exercise, growth, disease, and the body's response to its environment. In medicine, it describes both the overall process and particular metabolic pathways, while in general writing it can suggest the continuous movement and renewal that keeps a system alive.
nounThe sum of the chemical processes by which an organism converts substances into energy and uses that energy to maintain and repair itself. In figurative use, it refers to a process of transformation, renewal, or gradual change.
- The biological process by which an organism obtains, transforms, and expends energy.
- A figurative process of transformation, turnover, or renewal.
"Regular exercise can influence the body's metabolism and overall energy levels."
"A healthy diet supports a steady metabolism and helps maintain muscle mass."
"The town's economic metabolism changed as the old industries gave way to new businesses."
The plural is uncommon; the singular is normally used for the general process or for an organism's metabolism.
"Different species have distinct metabolisms."
Your metabolism is more than digestion: it is the body's nonstop chemical conversion of food and oxygen into usable energy—and the rebuilding that keeps you going.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does metabolism come from?
The word comes from Greek metabolē, meaning “change” or “alteration,” related to metaballein, “to change.” It entered English in the 19th century for the process of chemical change in living organisms. The related words metabolic and metabolize developed from the same modern English root, while metabolite refers to a substance produced or consumed during metabolism.
Related word forms
How metabolism is actually used
In biology and medicine, the term is formal and technical. Figurative uses are also formal or literary and suggest continuous transformation, renewal, or adaptation rather than a single dramatic change.