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functional group
noun
: a characteristic reactive unit of a chemical compound especially in organic chemistry
Examples of functional group in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Navigating Stakeholder Buy-In: In almost every company, functional groups like to keep data close to their organization and typically do not like to share it outside of that.
—Sridhar Ratakonda, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
But the biggest improvements come when that employee can reach out to other team members—and other functional groups—to improve an entire process.
—Jason Andersen, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
Scientists can modify the ring by augmenting one or more of the carbon atoms with functional groups of other atoms.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2024
The adsorbent has a second functional group called a carboxylate.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2018
Then assemble a cross-functional group of evangelists from various customer-facing roles, including customer success and marketing.
—Patrick Welch, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
The methane-producing methanogens had been detected previously, and Raymann’s study provides additional evidence that this functional group is dominant: no non-methanogenic lineages were seen in human samples.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2017
My company makes sure that each hiring team includes a recruiting lead and a hiring manager, as well as a cross-functional group of colleagues who would work closely with the new employee.
—Jenny Xia Spradling, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2022
Every department must also have digitally savvy talent that should percolate across every functional group of the organization.
—Rajeev Sharma, Forbes, 7 July 2022
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Word History
First Known Use
1892, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near functional group
Cite this Entry
“Functional group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/functional%20group. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Medical Definition
functional group
noun
: a characteristic reactive unit of a chemical compound
More from Merriam-Webster on functional group
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about functional group
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