Educational guide
POLYPEPTIDE Definition & Meaning
American [pol-ee- pep -tahyd, -tid] / ˌpɒl iˈpɛp taɪd, -tɪd / noun Biochemistry. a chain of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds and having a molecular weight of up to about 10,000. polypeptide British / ˌpɒlɪˈpɛptaɪd / noun any of a group of natural o
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American
[pol-ee-pep-tahyd, -tid] / ˌpɒl iˈpɛp taɪd, -tɪd /
noun
Biochemistry.
-
a chain of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds and having a molecular weight of up to about 10,000.
polypeptide British
/ ˌpɒlɪˈpɛptaɪd /
noun
-
any of a group of natural or synthetic polymers made up of amino acids chemically linked together; this class includes the proteins See also peptide
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
polypeptide Scientific
/ pŏl′ē-pĕp′tīd′ /
-
A peptide, such as a small protein, containing many molecules of amino acids, typically between 10 and 100.
Etymology
Origin of polypeptide
First recorded in 1900–05; poly- + peptide
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Vocabulary lists containing polypeptide
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:
polypeptide
The Irish economy expanded by 12.3% in 2025 as it benefited from a surge in demand for polypeptide hormones, a key component of weight-loss drugs, particularly from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Retatrutide is a so-called triple hormone receptor agonist, which works by activating the body’s receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon, hormones that regulate blood sugar and digestion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Glucose and insulin levels were measured, as were ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 and pancreatic polypeptide -- hormones associated with the consumption of food.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2024
Tirzepatide targets a second hormone, called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
They had been constructed by John some eighteen months before, for the work on the three- dimensional shape of the polypeptide chain.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.