genetic drift
noun
: random changes in gene frequency especially in small populations when leading to preservation or extinction of particular genes
Examples of genetic drift in a Sentence
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The second theory is more conservative: that blood type variation may persist largely through neutral processes, such as genetic drift, and that there were only weak selective pressures acting upon it.
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026
And small populations are also more likely to face the genetic consequences of inbreeding, a loss of genetic diversity, and genetic drift (in which potentially harmful mutations can pile up), leaving the species even more vulnerable.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Jan. 2026
In a process that scientists call genetic drift, over time salamanders on the two sides became genetically distinct − evidence of the two populations evolving independently.
—Elizabeth Carlen, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
But when overfishing nearly wiped out these sturgeon, genetic drift—or when a chance event changes the frequency of certain genes in a population—strengthened.
—Benjamin Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026
And small populations are also more likely to face the genetic consequences of inbreeding, a loss of genetic diversity, and genetic drift (in which potentially harmful mutations can pile up), leaving the species even more vulnerable.
—ArsTechnica, 14 Jan. 2026
In a process that scientists call genetic drift, over time salamanders on the two sides became genetically distinct − evidence of the two populations evolving independently.
—Elizabeth Carlen, The Conversation, 3 July 2025
But when overfishing nearly wiped out these sturgeon, genetic drift—or when a chance event changes the frequency of certain genes in a population—strengthened.
—Benjamin Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for genetic drift
Cite this Entry
“Genetic drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genetic%20drift. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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