stagnate

verb

stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating

intransitive verb

: to become or remain stagnant

Examples of stagnate in a Sentence

a puddle of stagnating water
Recent Examples on the Web Wages stagnated and the two-tier system was introduced. Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024 Beginning in the 1970s, companies began outsourcing supply chains as U.S. economic growth stagnated and inflation rose. TIME, 2 Apr. 2024 The South Loop Park was first proposed in 2004 and initially stagnated, but the idea has gained traction in recent years as the project has progressed toward its funding goals. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024 Its revenue expansion is stagnating, and the stock is underperforming the Nasdaq 100 by about 16 percentage points, the most to start a year since 2013. Jeran Wittenstein, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 One of the main reasons why the economy has stagnated is that the Bank of England has raised its main interest rate aggressively to a 16-year high of 5.25% to get inflation down to 4% from a peak of over 11%. Pan Pylas, Quartz, 15 Feb. 2024 Economics Douglas Carr: Neoliberalism’s critics typically denounce stagnating incomes, the declining availability of middle-class jobs especially for blue-collar men in manufacturing, and increasing inequality. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024 In 2016, the Bank of Japan took the unorthodox step of bringing borrowing costs below zero, a bid to kick-start borrowing and lending and spur the country’s stagnating economy. Joe Rennison, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The 2010s saw trust in government reach its lowest point as wages stagnated, financial crises rocked the European Union, and corruption roiled developing nations. Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin stagnatus, past participle of stagnare, from stagnum body of standing water

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stagnate was in 1661

Dictionary Entries Near stagnate

Cite this Entry

“Stagnate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagnate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

stagnate

verb
stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating
: to be or become stagnant
stagnation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stagnate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!