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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing culture Learn More About culture

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 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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Remote work may also have contributed to deteriorating work culture and consequently lower productivity for certain employees, according to another recent study published in MIT Sloan Management Review. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2022 Ryan Kost formerly wrote about Bay Area culture for The Chronicle's Technology and Transformation team. — Ryan Kost, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Aug. 2022 Zwïta, one of the 10 finalists, is a harissa company founded in 2020 by Houston brothers Karim and Mansour Arem, who aim to shine a light on Tunisian culinary culture. — Emma Balter, Chron, 22 Aug. 2022 The failure to prioritize these communities early on in the HIV epidemic because of how U.S. culture has stigmatized their existence has meant the spread of HIV in these groups to unacceptable levels, and failing to end the HIV epidemic nationally. — Ofole Mgbako, STAT, 22 Aug. 2022 Hyperbole is the natural mode of internet-speak, says Jennings, the internet culture reporter. — Jessica M. Goldstein, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2022 The three-day event, which launched Aug. 19, brings together all aspects of K-culture with full days’ worth of panels, workshops, activities and more, with the final two nights capped off by the concert. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Aug. 2022 An unofficial hierarchy has formed through Jamaican culture and for practical reasons. — Douglas Hook, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2022 The installation is part of a street art exhibition that also features graffiti, tattoos, skateboarding and lowrider culture. — Joe Tash, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Forte, credited as an integral part of the revitalization of the Argentine horror scene, spoke with Variety in advance of the screening on connecting to culture, the Argentine genre cinema circuit and finding a kindred soul in Díaz. — Holly Jones, Variety, 18 July 2022 Donovan Mitchell has a whole lot of say and sway inside Jazz operations, everything from the way the team plays on the floor to personnel decisions to strategies to culture to coaching hires to team branding. — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 June 2022 After cultivating white akoya pearls, Kokichi Mikimoto also became the first to culture black South Sea pearls. — Jill Newman, Town & Country, 12 May 2022 Barton unpacks why Christianity was so interconnected to culture and how the shift progressed. — Madeline Coggins, Fox News, 5 July 2022 The second solution was poured on the finger multiple times, from different angles, and left to culture for two weeks to produce the finished product. — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 June 2022 Typically, these plastic trays are used to culture cells. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 May 2022 Joe built a legacy and culture around treating others with kindness and respect, asking only for the same in return. — al, 25 May 2022 And culture war debates over public health policies and educational content on American history — plus mass shootings in schools — have added layers of urgency for voters considering gubernatorial candidates ahead of the July 19 primary. — Lillian Reed, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2022 See More

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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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near culture

culturati

culture

culture and personality

Statistics for culture

Last Updated

25 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Culture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. Accessed 1 Sep. 2022.

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More Definitions for culture

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)