germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt 
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
1
: to come into being : evolve
… before Western civilization began to germinate …—
A. L. Kroeber
A. L. Kroeber2
: to begin to grow : sprout
waiting for the seeds to germinate
Examples of germinate in a Sentence
methods used by gardeners to germinate seeds
Recent Examples on the Web
Because spores require high humidity to germinate, one way to prevent infection is to reduce humidity in the leaf canopy by increasing air circulation.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 May 2026
Outside the context of collective trauma, psychologists theorize that personal hardships can germinate into do-good behaviors later on, especially if the individual was the recipient of help during their struggle.
—Pauline Bartolone, NPR, 23 May 2026
Its large seeds are easy to plant and germinate in as little as one week.
—Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 22 May 2026
And try to plant at least one veggie that germinates quickly — radishes, for example.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 May 2026
Outside the context of collective trauma, psychologists theorize that personal hardships can germinate into do-good behaviors later on, especially if the individual was the recipient of help during their struggle.
—Pauline Bartolone, NPR, 23 May 2026
Its large seeds are easy to plant and germinate in as little as one week.
—Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 22 May 2026
And try to plant at least one veggie that germinates quickly — radishes, for example.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germinate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
: to begin to grow : sprout
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
