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
Cosmos Cosmos is a warm-climate annual native to Mexico whose seeds need a soil temperature of at least 65°F to germinate.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
Seeds that require 70-degree soil to germinate will clearly need to be started indoors in cold-weather climates since the soil does not get adequately warm until late into May.
—Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 21 Jan. 2026
The buckthorn seedlings that germinate from fruit dropped by my neighbor’s buckthorns and bird feeding would quickly overtake my garden plants without regular intervention.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Stevia seeds are difficult to germinate, but starter plants are readily available over the Internet and they are easily propagated from shoot cuttings.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 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.
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
Seeds that require 70-degree soil to germinate will clearly need to be started indoors in cold-weather climates since the soil does not get adequately warm until late into May.
—Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 21 Jan. 2026
The buckthorn seedlings that germinate from fruit dropped by my neighbor’s buckthorns and bird feeding would quickly overtake my garden plants without regular intervention.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Stevia seeds are difficult to germinate, but starter plants are readily available over the Internet and they are easily propagated from shoot cuttings.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 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 25 Jan. 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
