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
An annual, the seeds germinate in the fall, grow through the winter, reaching up to 12 inches tall, and then produce seed heads in the spring.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Snow, ice, and below-zero temperatures won’t affect the dormant seed; cool-season grasses like fescue will germinate when temperature and moisture conditions are right in early spring.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2025
In magnolias, the bright red/orange fleshy coating can keep those seeds from germinating for several years, until weathering breaks down and/or weathers away those compounds.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Most distilleries in Scotland don’t actually malt their own barley, the process in which barley is germinated and then heated to stop the process before being turned into mash and distilled.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germinate
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Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Snow, ice, and below-zero temperatures won’t affect the dormant seed; cool-season grasses like fescue will germinate when temperature and moisture conditions are right in early spring.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2025
In magnolias, the bright red/orange fleshy coating can keep those seeds from germinating for several years, until weathering breaks down and/or weathers away those compounds.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Most distilleries in Scotland don’t actually malt their own barley, the process in which barley is germinated and then heated to stop the process before being turned into mash and distilled.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germinate. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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Medical Definition
germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
: to begin to grow : sprout
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