gravitate
verb
Rose Friedman
Did you know?
The force is strong in the family of words descended from the Latin adjective gravis, meaning “heavy”: gravitation has it, graviton has it, and gravitate has it, too. That force is gravity (gravity being another gravis descendent), a fundamental physical force that is responsible for bringing us literally back down to earth (or Tattooine, as it were). But you don’t have to be a full-fledged linguistic Jedi, young padawan, to know that gravity, like its Latin ancestor, also has figurative meanings, as does gravitate. When it first landed in the 17th century, gravitate meant “to apply pressure or weight,” and later it maintained its connection to literal gravity with a sense (still in use today) meaning “to move under the effect of gravitation.” It then, however, acquired a more general sense of “to move toward something” (such as toward a specific location), and finally a metaphorical sense of “to be attracted,” as in, “when choosing movies to watch she often gravitates toward space operas.”
Examples of gravitate in a Sentence
Harrison Bard, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Shoppers are also gravitating towards this multifunctional steam cleaner, which is 34 percent off right now.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Those who seek pain relief from CBD often gravitate towards full spectrum and broad spectrum oils.
—Chrono Therapeutics, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Without his father, Debora felt a lack of identity and gravitated toward joining a gang.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Because her kitchen is also her office, Kellett naturally gravitates toward the task and suggests that choosing a chore that plays to your strengths is helpful.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
Now, though, with many people seemingly moved on to SUVs, folks who still gravitate towards storied nameplates like 5 series and E-Class do so for a reason.
—Kyle Hyatt, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2024
Instead of keeping larger stores open, the company is trying out flagship options to see if customers will gravitate towards those stores.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
Why: Forage like suckers, carp, and bluegills gravitate to the shallows following ice-out, and muskies know where to find their food.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gravitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gravitate
Cite this Entry
“Gravitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gravitate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gravitate
verb
Medical Definition
gravitate
intransitive verb
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