1
a
: 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
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
2
a
: 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
Alexander Pope5
: the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education
6
: expert care and training
beauty culture
cultured; culturing
ˈkəlch-riŋ 
ˈkəl-chə-
1
2
a
: to grow in a prepared medium
culture microorganisms
b
: to start a culture from (see culture entry 1 sense 3)
culture soil
Synonyms
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
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 WebLeo Barraclough, Variety, 1 Dec. 2023
Adorned with the iconic and cheeky phrase, ‘Dwight, You Ignorant S…’, this pillowcase instantly sparks conversations and is a must-have for lovers of popular culture.
—Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023
The pop culture icons, whose tours overlapped in the United States during the summer, made headlines this year for helping boost consumer spending.
—Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023
CEOs, world leaders and influential figures often tout routines involving early mornings, and hustle culture echoes this sentiment, making bold claims about the life-changing benefits of waking up at 4 a.m., even if that means surviving on just four hours of sleep and several cups of coffee.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Apparently, no one has stopped to consider the power of a culture that forced you to borrow its language to condemn it.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
The makeup reflects the AI industry's diversity problem, its regression back toward a hard-nosed culture, and OpenAI's rejection of the caution espoused by its female former directors.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
But India is also unique, in that Hindu culture places rivers at the center of religious beliefs.
—Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
November darkness is upon us and Thanksgiving prep is ratcheting up, but culture stops for no one.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 16 Nov. 2023
There are rooms for culturing diseased cells, growing antibodies, and sequencing their DNA: Technicians in lab coats prepare samples and tap away at computers as machines whir in the background.
—WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023
One existing option is culturing a single layer of neurons in a petri dish, guiding cells to grow over recording electrodes.
—WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Before that, there was a sense that microorganisms are a very different kingdom of life, and they were studied one at a time and cultured in a laboratory dish.
—WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023
For over a decade, Shedd has cultured plankton in-house to feed and nourish tens of thousands of animals on site daily.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2023
Learn More About Jewelry Turning Sand to Shimmer: Mikimoto has been culturing pearls for 130 years at its scenic complex on Ago Bay in Japan.
—John Eligon Joao Silva, New York Times, 29 June 2023
How to brown butter and use it in sweet and savory dishes
All butter used to be cultured.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023
To create similar models of human development, Hanna and his team started with cell lines previously cultured from early human embryos and with stem cells converted from adult cells.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 17 June 2023
See More
Noun
The documentary is a significant component of Akin’s filmography with a mix of Turkish culture, German background and a good pinch of music and lifestyle.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 1 Dec. 2023
Adorned with the iconic and cheeky phrase, ‘Dwight, You Ignorant S…’, this pillowcase instantly sparks conversations and is a must-have for lovers of popular culture.
—Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023
The pop culture icons, whose tours overlapped in the United States during the summer, made headlines this year for helping boost consumer spending.
—Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023
CEOs, world leaders and influential figures often tout routines involving early mornings, and hustle culture echoes this sentiment, making bold claims about the life-changing benefits of waking up at 4 a.m., even if that means surviving on just four hours of sleep and several cups of coffee.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Apparently, no one has stopped to consider the power of a culture that forced you to borrow its language to condemn it.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
The makeup reflects the AI industry's diversity problem, its regression back toward a hard-nosed culture, and OpenAI's rejection of the caution espoused by its female former directors.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
But India is also unique, in that Hindu culture places rivers at the center of religious beliefs.
—Oliver Franklin-Wallis, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
November darkness is upon us and Thanksgiving prep is ratcheting up, but culture stops for no one.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Verb
The test starts by culturing bacteria taken from a swab of body fluid, then directly exposing the bacteria to various penicillin types in a lab.
—Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 16 Nov. 2023
There are rooms for culturing diseased cells, growing antibodies, and sequencing their DNA: Technicians in lab coats prepare samples and tap away at computers as machines whir in the background.
—WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023
One existing option is culturing a single layer of neurons in a petri dish, guiding cells to grow over recording electrodes.
—WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Before that, there was a sense that microorganisms are a very different kingdom of life, and they were studied one at a time and cultured in a laboratory dish.
—WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023
For over a decade, Shedd has cultured plankton in-house to feed and nourish tens of thousands of animals on site daily.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2023
Learn More About Jewelry Turning Sand to Shimmer: Mikimoto has been culturing pearls for 130 years at its scenic complex on Ago Bay in Japan.
—John Eligon Joao Silva, New York Times, 29 June 2023
How to brown butter and use it in sweet and savory dishes
All butter used to be cultured.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023
To create similar models of human development, Hanna and his team started with cell lines previously cultured from early human embryos and with stem cells converted from adult cells.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 17 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culture.' 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
Noun and Verb
Middle English, cultivated land, cultivation, from Anglo-French, from Latin cultura, from cultus, past participle — see cult
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Verb
1510, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of culture was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing culture
Dictionary Entries Near culture
Cite this Entry
“Culture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
culture
1 of 2 noun
cul·ture
ˈkəl-chər
2
: the raising or development of a product or crop by careful attention
bee culture
the culture of grapes
3
: improvement of the mind, tastes, and manners through careful training
4
a
: a particular stage, form, or kind of civilization
ancient Greek culture
b
: the beliefs, social practices, and characteristics of a racial, religious, or social group
c
: the characteristic features of everyday life shared by people in a particular place or time
southern culture
5
: cultivation of living material (as bacteria) in a special usually liquid or jellylike nutrient preparation
also
: a product of such cultivation
Medical Definition
culture
1 of 2 noun
cul·ture
ˈkəl-chər
1
a
: 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
2
a
: the act or process of growing living material (as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media
b
: a product of cultivation in nutrient media
culture
2 of 2 transitive verb
cultured; culturing
ˈkəlch-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to grow (as microorganisms or tissues) in a prepared medium
2
: to start a culture from
culture soil
also
: to make a culture of
culture milk
More from Merriam-Webster on culture
Nglish: Translation of culture for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of culture for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about culture
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share