domesticate

1 of 2

verb

do·​mes·​ti·​cate də-ˈme-sti-ˌkāt 

domesticated; domesticating

transitive verb

1

: to bring into use in one's own country : to bring into domestic use : adopt

started to domesticate European customs

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

But every reader addicted to coffee can thank ancient Ethiopian farmers for domesticating the coffee plant.

—Jared Diamond

3

: 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

domesticate

2 of 2

noun

do·​mes·​ti·​cate də-ˈme-sti-kət 

-ˌkāt

: a domesticated (see domesticate entry 1 sense 2) animal or plant

Examples of domesticate in a Sentence

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 Web

Verb

While domesticated grapes are hermaphorditic, meaning their flowers contain both male and female organs, wild grapes are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female plants, as is the case with this species. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 June 2025

Amanda Li/iStock / Getty Images Plus Even though they've been domesticated for thousands of years, cats still carry many instincts from their wild ancestors. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

Noun

As the world’s first domesticates, dogs were tamed and domesticated gradually through the generations. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024

These animals and crops were gradually joined by China’s many other domesticates. —Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Verb

see domestic entry 1

Noun

see domestic entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for domesticate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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

-ˌmes-ti-ˈkā-shən

noun