cultivate

verb

cul·ti·vate | \ ˈkəl-tə-ˌvāt

cultivated; cultivating

Definition of cultivate

1 : to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops Some fields are cultivated while others lie fallow. also : to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants)

2a : to foster the growth of cultivate vegetables cultivate coffee

b : culture sense 2a cultivate oysters for pearls

c : to improve by labor, care, or study : refine cultivate the mind … cultivated a reputation as a hard-core wheeler-dealer …— Kit Boss

3 : further, encourage cultivate the arts

4 : to seek the society of : make friends with looking for influential people to cultivate as friends

Other Words from cultivate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about cultivate

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Synonyms & Antonyms for cultivate

Synonyms

acquire, develop, form

Antonyms

lose

Examples of cultivate in a Sentence

Prehistoric peoples settled the area and began to cultivate the land. Some of the fields are cultivated while others lie fallow. a plant that is cultivated for its fruit They survived by cultivating vegetables and grain. He has carefully cultivated his image. She cultivated a taste for fine wines.

Recent Examples on the Web

The organization provides plots to be cultivated by local residents, as well as educational and recreational events for the larger community. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Steps Out in a Casual Look this Morning to Visit a Community Garden," 15 Jan. 2019 The plots cultivated by these farmers were quite small, with the median only a bit over 10 square meters. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Urban farms could be incredibly efficient—but aren’t yet," 27 Dec. 2018 Obsession — loving or poisonous — has helped fuel the most dedicated fan bases, whose fervor is craved and cultivated by billion-dollar brands. — Washington Post, "Abusive messages show dark side of ‘Star Wars’ fandom," 9 June 2018 These were obviously occupied, because the fields had been recently cultivated and the buildings were in good repair, but not a soul was in sight. — Tim Schwarz And Will Ripley, CNN, "The day we saw decades of North Korea's nuclear work go up in smoke," 25 May 2018 Eaten and highly prized by wealthy Chinese classes, they were cultivated there for more than 3,000 years before being shipped to the United States in the 1800s. — Tara Massouleh, AL.com, "Put these colorful acai bowls on your food bucket list," 4 Apr. 2018 Lack of rain doesn't hurt irrigated plants Lack of rain isn’t as much of a concern because many plants that trigger seasonal allergies, such as trees and landscaping grasses, are cultivated and watered by people. — Weldon B. Johnson, azcentral, "Seasonal allergies bugging you? Here's why a dry winter hasn't helped," 23 Mar. 2018 Facebook once sought to cultivate the type of mystique garnered by Google’s X lab and its skunkworks projects, which have produced legitimate ventures including its self-driving unit, Waymo. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Facebook fractures its secretive hardware division," 14 Dec. 2018 That means these virtues are especially difficult to cultivate in other kids. — Adam Sternbergh, The Cut, "The Extinction of the Middle Child," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cultivate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near cultivate

Statistics for cultivate

Last Updated

16 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for cultivate

The first known use of cultivate was in 1588

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More Definitions for cultivate

cultivate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of cultivate

: to prepare and use (soil) for growing plants

: to grow and care for (plants)

: to grow or raise (something) under conditions that you can control

See the full definition for cultivate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cultivate

verb

cul·ti·vate | \ ˈkəl-tə-ˌvāt

cultivated; cultivating

Kids Definition of cultivate

1 : to prepare land for the raising of crops cultivate a field

2 : to raise or assist the growth of crops by tilling or by labor and care cultivate corn

3 : to improve or develop by careful attention, training, or study : devote time and thought to He's trying to cultivate a better attitude.

4 : to seek the company and friendship of As soon as Johnny began to cultivate Dove, he was surprised at the response.— Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain