metabolism

IPA/məˈtæbəlɪzəm/
KK[mətˈæbəlˌɪzəm]IPA/məˈtæbəlɪzəm/

metabolism — noun

  • metabolismsingular
  • metabolismsplural

1. the chemical reactions inside a living body that convert food into the energy an

1.nounB2
Definition

the chemical reactions inside a living body that convert food into the energy and building blocks needed for growth and repair

Example

Regular exercise can speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories every day.

collocation: speed up your metabolism

Tariro's metabolism slowed down after forty, making it harder to stay at the same weight.

collocation: metabolism slowed down

Common collocations
  • speed up / boost / increase your metabolism
  • slow down / decrease your metabolism
  • fast / slow / high / low metabolism
  • have a fast / slow metabolism
  • resting metabolism
  • metabolism slows with age
Synonyms
  • metabolic process

    refers to individual chemical reactions rather than the whole system

  • metabolic rate

    specifically the speed at which the body burns energy, not the full process

  • digestion

    only covers the breakdown of food, not the cellular energy conversion that metabolism includes

Grammar Patterns

have + a + adj + metabolism

person's + metabolism + verb

Usage Note

Usually used as an uncountable noun when referring to the general process ('Metabolism slows with age'), but it can be countable when describing a specific person's rate ('She has a fast metabolism'). Frequently paired with adjectives like fast, slow, high, or low.

Common Mistakes

I need to metabolism this food.
I need to metabolize this food.
'metabolism' is a noun; 'metabolize' is the verb form.
My metabolism is high so I don't get fat.
I have a high metabolism, so I do not gain weight easily.
English typically uses 'have a [adjective] metabolism' rather than 'my metabolism is [adjective]'.

Word family

  • metabolic
    adjectiveB2
  • metabolize
    verbC1
  • metabolite
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Metabolism is the broadest term, covering all chemical reactions that keep a living organism alive. Metabolic rate is a narrower measurement — it tells you how fast those reactions happen (a person with a 'fast metabolism' burns energy quickly). Digestion is often confused with metabolism but only refers to the breakdown of food in the stomach and intestines, whereas metabolism also includes what happens inside cells after nutrients are absorbed. Metabolic process is a more general phrase that can refer to any single reaction within the system, not the whole collection. For example: 'Yoga boosts your metabolism (overall system), but chewing food is just one part of digestion, and breaking down glucose in a cell is a single metabolic process.'

metabolic rate ↗digestion ↗metabolic process

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • metabolically

Phrases

  • speed up your metabolism
  • slow down your metabolism
  • a fast / slow metabolism

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word metabolism comes from the Greek 'metabole' meaning 'change,' combined with the suffix '-ismos' (indicating a process). It passed into Latin as 'metabolismus,' then into French as 'metabolisme,' and finally into English in the 1800s as scientists sought a term for the body's changing and transforming of substances.