salivate

verb

sal·​i·​vate ˈsa-lə-ˌvāt How to pronounce salivate (audio)
salivated; salivating

intransitive verb

1
: to have a flow of saliva especially in excess
2
: to show great desire or anticipation : drool
salivation noun
salivator noun

Examples of salivate in a Sentence

The smell alone was enough to make me salivate. She was salivating at the prospect of traveling to Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web Although her parents had conventionally middle-class occupations—her mother was a school bursar, her father a businessman—her dad had the kind of unusual background that makes a writer salivate. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Its signature pier juts into the Pacific as waves big enough to make surfers salivate break beyond miles of white sand. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 On a wider scale, though, Madrid and football fans alike will salivate at potentially seeing an attacking line containing Mbappe, Haaland and Vinicius Jr. in action together. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 People who enjoy bending the rules of financial systems are probably salivating at this point. Ron Lieber, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 With Joe Biden in the White House and Democrats in control of the Senate, GOP lawmakers had no illusions of passing the kind of boundary-pushing conservative policy that makes their right-wing base salivate. Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 2 Jan. 2024 The distinctive characteristics the 6-foot-8 smooth swingman possess had the Hornets salivating over him, giving Miller the nod over Scoot Henderson, who missed Sunday’s game with a strained left adductor, shelving any possibility the two would get matched up on each other. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2024 The Belgian waffle is served with fried chicken, which had my taste buds salivating. David Wysong, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 The major storyline: Are the 49ers salivating over the chance to avenge their loss four years ago to the Chiefs, when a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead wasn’t enough to prevent a 31-20 defeat in Super Bowl LIV? Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'salivate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of salivate was circa 1706

Dictionary Entries Near salivate

Cite this Entry

“Salivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salivate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

salivate

verb
sal·​i·​vate ˈsal-ə-ˌvāt How to pronounce salivate (audio)
salivated; salivating
: to produce or secrete saliva especially in large amounts
salivation noun

Medical Definition

salivate

verb
sal·​i·​vate ˈsal-ə-ˌvāt How to pronounce salivate (audio)
salivated; salivating

transitive verb

: to produce an abnormal flow of saliva in (as by the use of mercury)

intransitive verb

: to have a flow of saliva especially in excess

More from Merriam-Webster on salivate

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