germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt 
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
1
: to come into being : evolve
… before Western civilization began to germinate …—
A. L. Kroeber
A. L. Kroeber2
: to begin to grow : sprout
waiting for the seeds to germinate
Examples of germinate in a Sentence
methods used by gardeners to germinate seeds
Recent Examples on the Web
What had germinated in marble in Italy was ready to evolve from three-dimensional cubes to four-dimensional information that could visualize some of the project’s possible permutations.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
This two-stage encapsulation guaranteed that the spores would not germinate during the mixing process.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
The ones sold on the market were supposed to be sterile, meaning the seeds in the fruits weren’t supposed to germinate and grow.
—Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
But instead of being destroyed like other intruding pathogens, the spores germinate and multiply.
—Hannah Kinzer, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
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Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
This two-stage encapsulation guaranteed that the spores would not germinate during the mixing process.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
The ones sold on the market were supposed to be sterile, meaning the seeds in the fruits weren’t supposed to germinate and grow.
—Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
But instead of being destroyed like other intruding pathogens, the spores germinate and multiply.
—Hannah Kinzer, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germinate. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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Medical Definition
germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
: to begin to grow : sprout
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