sequences

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sequence.

   Researchers compared the genetic sequences from several samples.

   The film cuts between two action sequences shot months apart.

   Note

   Only the countable uses of sequence take this plural. The sense of order itself, the state of following, stays uncountable, so events happen in sequence, not in sequences. The plural belongs to the series: chants sung between the readings of a Mass, ordered lists a mathematician indexes with natural numbers, melodies repeated with a change each time. The same spelling also serves as the verb's present-tense form.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of sequence.

   The software sequences the tasks according to their priority.

   Her editor sequences the chapters to build tension toward the ending.

   Note

   Nearly always followed by an object: a lab sequences a protein or a strand of DNA, a producer sequences a track on a sequencer, a planner sequences tasks. The intransitive use, meaning to proceed through a series, is uncommon. In a sentence like "the program sequences through the files," plainer wording such as "works through" is often the safer choice.

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