: a pentose C5H10O5 found especially in the dextrorotatory form as a component of many nucleosides (such as adenosine and guanosine) especially in RNA
Examples of ribose in a Sentence
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Consistency: For the best results, take ribose consistently each day.
—
Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 19 July 2024
Other names commonly used for ribose include ribose sugar and simply ribose.
—Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 19 July 2024
For example, all living things only use the right-handed form of the sugar ribose to form the backbone of DNA, giving it that the signature twist.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2016
The malleable compound contains borate, a substance that seemed to protect organic compounds like ribose from going the way of caramelized sugar.
—Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2014
Luckily, Benner’s team made a breakthrough in 2013, discovering that a catalyst called molybdate — a form of molybdenum that includes oxygen — can reconfigure the other sugar’s atoms to convert it into ribose.
—Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2014
Murchison also contained nucleobases, the building blocks of genetic molecules such as RNA, and in November 2019, researchers found a major component of RNA’s backbone: the sugar molecule ribose.
—Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, 13 Aug. 2020
In November 2019, an international team of scientists discovered meteorites carrying the organic sugar ribose, which is essential for the formation of RNA.
—Brad King, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2020
Scientists continue to theorize about the conditions that fostered the birth of life on Earth, and ribose is a key piece of evidence.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019
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Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 19 July 2024
Other names commonly used for ribose include ribose sugar and simply ribose.
—Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 19 July 2024
For example, all living things only use the right-handed form of the sugar ribose to form the backbone of DNA, giving it that the signature twist.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2016
The malleable compound contains borate, a substance that seemed to protect organic compounds like ribose from going the way of caramelized sugar.
—Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2014
Luckily, Benner’s team made a breakthrough in 2013, discovering that a catalyst called molybdate — a form of molybdenum that includes oxygen — can reconfigure the other sugar’s atoms to convert it into ribose.
—Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2014
Murchison also contained nucleobases, the building blocks of genetic molecules such as RNA, and in November 2019, researchers found a major component of RNA’s backbone: the sugar molecule ribose.
—Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, 13 Aug. 2020
In November 2019, an international team of scientists discovered meteorites carrying the organic sugar ribose, which is essential for the formation of RNA.
—Brad King, WSJ, 7 Feb. 2020
Scientists continue to theorize about the conditions that fostered the birth of life on Earth, and ribose is a key piece of evidence.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Ribose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ribose. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ribose
noun
ri·bose
ˈrī-ˌbōs 
: a sugar that has five carbon atoms and five oxygen atoms in each molecule and is part of RNA compare deoxyribose
Medical Definition
ribose
noun
ri·bose
ˈrī-ˌbōs, -ˌbōz
: a pentose C5H10O5 found especially in the levorotatory D-form as a constituent of a number of nucleosides (as adenosine, cytidine, and guanosine) especially in RNA
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