1. the process of making copies of a specific piece of DNA, usually a gene. This uses the techniques of genetic engineering to isolate the desired gene and transfer it to a suitable host cell, such as a bacterium, inside which it will undergo replication. Cloning facilitates investigation of gene structure and function and enables identification and analysis of particular gene products. Also called gene cloning.

2. the process of making genetically identical copies (i.e., clones) of an entire organism. The potential cloning of human beings raises major ethical and social questions.