culture

noun

cul·ture | \ ˈkəl-chər

Definition of culture

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time popular culture Southern culture

b : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization a corporate culture focused on the bottom line

c : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic studying the effect of computers on print culture Changing the culture of materialism will take time …— Peggy O'Mara

d : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

2a : enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training

b : acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills a person of culture

3 : the act or process of cultivating living material (such as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media also : a product of such cultivation

4 : cultivation, tillage We ought to blame the culture, not the soil.— Alexander Pope

5 : the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education

6 : expert care and training beauty culture

culture

verb

cultured; culturing\ ˈkəlch-riŋ

, ˈkəl-chə- \

Definition of culture (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : cultivate

2a : to grow in a prepared medium culture microorganisms

b : to start a culture from (see culture entry 1 sense 3) culture soil

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

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Examples of culture in a Sentence

Noun

In this new view, genes allow the human mind to learn, remember, imitate, imprint language, absorb culture and express instincts. — Matt Ridley, Time, 2 June 2003 Such an explanation seems sensible to a technologically advanced and ruthlessly competitive culture like our own, where anybody who fails to get at least a college degree … risks spending a life busing tables or telemarketing. — Natalie Angier, New York Times, 2 July 2002 There is an Arctic Indian tribe, the Gwich'in—the northernmost Indians in the United States—who base their diet and culture on the caribou. — Jimmy Carter, National Geographic Traveler, October 2001 Underlying the question "Is this as good as it gets?" was a female j'accuse—against a consumer culture where values like caring had been severely discounted. — Susan Faludi, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2001 a study of Greek language and culture Her art shows the influence of pop culture. It's important to learn about other cultures. The company's corporate culture is focused on increasing profits. an area that has been criticized for its lack of culture

Verb

The virus is cultured in the laboratory from samples of infected tissue. culture bacteria in laboratory dishes

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Poetic and visual expressions, and their meanings will be explored in tonight’s arts and culture appreciation program with artist and poet Joy Lindsay Garvey. — courant.com, "Community News For The Windsor Edition," 4 Sep. 2019 Hello, welcome to a new edition of The Monitor, WIRED's culture news roundup. — Wired, "Now You Can Get Your Horoscope on Spotify," 3 Sep. 2019 The Children's Museum of Indianapolis invites the community to learn about Latin culture through activities and performances. — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "These are the 22 best things to do with kids around Indianapolis in September," 3 Sep. 2019 Elsewhere around the state are a few Oktoberfest celebrations, music fests -- including the annual Gospel Fest -- wine tastings and various Texas culture gatherings. — Darla Guillen Gilthorpe, Houston Chronicle, "2019's best fall festivals around Texas," 3 Sep. 2019 American Factory charts the wave of exultation that greeted the arrival of Fuyao, followed by culture clashes, growing pains, and eventually forms of internal and external pushback that had been largely unknown to the company. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "American Factory Is a Complex Chronicle of Global Capitalism," 30 Aug. 2019 TikTok’s culture is designed for its users to help each other get popular quickly, so success on the app isn’t unusual or as hard to come by as on other social media networks. — Starrene Rhett Rocque, Teen Vogue, "The History of TikTok," 29 Aug. 2019 Onto this microfluidic culture device scientists insert drugs or bacteria or whatever to test the reaction of the human organ involved. — Wendy Moonan, Smithsonian, "How Biology Inspires Future Technology," 27 Aug. 2019 Brown, the culture expert on the Netflix series, was announced as a season 28 cast member on the ABC competition series last week. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "MTV VMAs 2019: Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness Says Karamo Brown Is 'Gonna Bring It' on DWTS," 26 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Scientists are able to culture cells such as endothelial cells [which line the inside of blood and lymphatic vessels] for a little bit longer. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, "Medicine in Space: What Microgravity Can Tell Us about Human Health," 7 Aug. 2019 In 2010, for example, Regenexx sued the FDA, claiming the agency lacked the authority to regulate its procedures, which involved culturing stem cells before reinjecting them into patients. — STAT, "Employers are steering workers toward a controversial stem cell therapy," 20 June 2019 In grocery stores today, most buttermilk cartons consist of milk that has been cultured with bacteria, causing it to thicken and sour. — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, "Leftover Buttermilk is a Blessing, Not a Curse," 16 July 2019 Her doctor prescribed a third drug, ciprofloxacin, the last of the three major front-line medicines, and cultured her urine. — Matt Richtel, BostonGlobe.com, "Common infection builds defenses and puts millions at risk," 13 July 2019 Memphis Meats, based in Emeryville, California, is one of a growing number of startups worldwide that are making cell-based or cultured meat. — Terence Chea, The Denver Post, "Meat from a lab? Startups cook up alternative to slaughter," 9 July 2019 Her doctor prescribed a third drug, ciproflaxacin, the last of the three major front-line medicines, and cultured her urine. — Matt Richtel, New York Times, "Urinary Tract Infections Affect Millions. The Cures Are Faltering.," 6 Apr. 2019 In 2010, for example, Regenexx sued the FDA, claiming the agency lacked the authority to regulate its procedures, which involved culturing stem cells before reinjecting them into patients. — STAT, "Employers are steering workers toward a controversial stem cell therapy," 20 June 2019 In 2010, for example, Regenexx sued the FDA, claiming the agency lacked the authority to regulate its procedures, which involved culturing stem cells before reinjecting them into patients. — STAT, "Employers are steering workers toward a controversial stem cell therapy," 20 June 2019

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

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More Definitions for culture

culture

noun

English Language Learners Definition of culture

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

: a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.

: a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)

culture

verb

English Language Learners Definition of culture (Entry 2 of 2)

technical : to grow (something) in controlled conditions

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

culture

noun

cul·ture | \ ˈkəl-chər

Kids Definition of culture

1 : cultivation sense 1

2 : the raising or development (as of a crop or product) by careful attention grape culture

3 : the appreciation and knowledge of the arts (as music, dance, and painting)

4 : the habits, beliefs, and traditions of a particular people, place, or time Greek culture

culture

noun

cul·ture | \ ˈkəl-chər

Medical Definition of culture

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, and artifacts and depends upon the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group

2a : the act or process of growing living material (as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media

b : a product of cultivation in nutrient media

Other Words from culture

cultural \ ˈkəlch(-ə)-rəl

\ adjective

culturally \ -rə-lē

\ adverb

culture

transitive verb

cultured; culturing\ ˈkəlch-(ə-)riŋ

Medical Definition of culture (Entry 2 of 2)