ATP
1 synonym for ATP, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A molecule that stores and carries chemical energy inside living cells, releasing it for muscle contraction, nerve signals and other processes when one of its phosphate groups is broken off.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
adenosine triphosphate
How to use ATP
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
ATP production
ATP synthase
ATP molecule
produce ATP
Biology and biochemistry. Almost always written as the initialism, even in textbooks.
Etymology
An initialism of adenosine triphosphate.
Full origin of ATP →Frequently asked questions
What does ATP stand for?
Adenosine triphosphate. The name describes the structure: an adenosine unit with three phosphate groups attached, and it is the bond to the third phosphate that carries the usable energy.
What is the difference between ATP and ADP?
ADP, adenosine diphosphate, is what remains after a cell removes one phosphate from ATP and uses the released energy. Cellular respiration then reattaches a phosphate to turn ADP back into ATP, so the two cycle back and forth continuously.
