do·mes·ti·cate
də-ˈme-sti-ˌkāt 
domesticated; domesticating
1
2
: to adapt (an animal or plant) over time from a wild or natural state especially by selective breeding to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans
The Asian equids, including the now-endangered Przewalski's horse, apparently provided the stock from which the horse was domesticated five to six thousand years ago.—
Bruce J. MacFadden
Bruce J. MacFaddenBut every reader addicted to coffee can thank ancient Ethiopian farmers for domesticating the coffee plant.—Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond3
: to cause to become adapted to life in a household : to make fit for domestic life
wasn't interested in becoming domesticated
4
: to bring to the level of ordinary people
do·mes·ti·cate
də-ˈme-sti-kət
-ˌkāt
: a domesticated (see domesticate entry 1 sense 2) animal or plant
Example Sentences
Verb
Horses and oxen have been domesticated to work on farms.
She jokes that dogs are easier to domesticate than men.
Recent Examples on the WebLaura Reiley, Washington Post, 2 May 2023
Read on for the 12 flowers that are most toxic for animals (domesticated or wild!).
—Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 22 Apr. 2023
As people lived in closer proximity to each other and their livestock, disease could transmit more easily between humans and domesticated animals.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2023
Like his bandmate Chris Martin, who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, Buckland is thoroughly, happily domesticated.
—Nancy Hass, ELLE Decor, 15 Apr. 2023
Carson took the rabbit to animal control once realizing he was domesticated, but he was never claimed, according to the department.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 11 Apr. 2023
The new strain complicates treatment of infected sea otters—drugs used for humans and domesticated animals can help—says Michael Murray, a veterinarian at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which treats about 10 sea otters with toxoplasmosis per year.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 22 Mar. 2023
For more information about prevention, especially for people who keep domesticated birds or are bird-watching hobbyists, the Centers for Disease Control has a list of guidelines for avoiding H5N1 and other bird flu viruses.
—Emma Worden-sapper, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2023
Now, the virus is raising alarms beyond egg prices and the enormous loss of wild and domesticated birds.
—Maggie O'neill, SELF, 14 Mar. 2023
Andrew C. Kitchener, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
This explains the extremely low genetic diversity in japonica, if there's a sweep up in frequency of a particular ancestral haplotype then what were polymorphisms in the wild type become monomorphic in the domesticate.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2011
Many of the herbivores grazing the mixed scrub are tough domesticates standing in as surrogates for extinct species.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
The idea was first floated in 2016 when a group including University of São Paulo plant physiologist Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira Peres revealed a plan to re-domesticate tomatoes.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019
Their brains are smaller than chimpanzees’, a shift also seen in many domesticates.
—John Hawks, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2017
So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2017
See More
Verb
Should the trials be successful, the next stage is identifying manufacturers, with many more steps before laying hens, domesticated turkeys and broilers are vaccinated.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 2 May 2023
Read on for the 12 flowers that are most toxic for animals (domesticated or wild!).
—Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 22 Apr. 2023
As people lived in closer proximity to each other and their livestock, disease could transmit more easily between humans and domesticated animals.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2023
Like his bandmate Chris Martin, who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, Buckland is thoroughly, happily domesticated.
—Nancy Hass, ELLE Decor, 15 Apr. 2023
Carson took the rabbit to animal control once realizing he was domesticated, but he was never claimed, according to the department.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 11 Apr. 2023
The new strain complicates treatment of infected sea otters—drugs used for humans and domesticated animals can help—says Michael Murray, a veterinarian at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which treats about 10 sea otters with toxoplasmosis per year.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 22 Mar. 2023
For more information about prevention, especially for people who keep domesticated birds or are bird-watching hobbyists, the Centers for Disease Control has a list of guidelines for avoiding H5N1 and other bird flu viruses.
—Emma Worden-sapper, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2023
Now, the virus is raising alarms beyond egg prices and the enormous loss of wild and domesticated birds.
—Maggie O'neill, SELF, 14 Mar. 2023
Noun
And whereas other domesticates, like dogs, look quite distinct from their wild ancestors, the average domestic cat largely retains the wild body plan.
—Andrew C. Kitchener, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
This explains the extremely low genetic diversity in japonica, if there's a sweep up in frequency of a particular ancestral haplotype then what were polymorphisms in the wild type become monomorphic in the domesticate.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2011
Many of the herbivores grazing the mixed scrub are tough domesticates standing in as surrogates for extinct species.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
The idea was first floated in 2016 when a group including University of São Paulo plant physiologist Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira Peres revealed a plan to re-domesticate tomatoes.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019
Their brains are smaller than chimpanzees’, a shift also seen in many domesticates.
—John Hawks, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2017
So if ants are growing wet habitat-loving fungi, and remove them to a dry habitat, that's sort of like humans taking one of their domesticates out of its native range.
—Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'domesticate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near domesticate
Cite this Entry
“Domesticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domesticate. Accessed 28 May. 2023.
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Kids Definition
domesticate
verb
do·mes·ti·cate
də-ˈmes-ti-ˌkāt
domesticated; domesticating
: to adapt to living with human beings and to serving their purposes
domestication
noun
-ˌmes-ti-ˈkā-shən
More from Merriam-Webster on domesticate
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for domesticate
Nglish: Translation of domesticate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of domesticate for Arabic Speakers
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