gestate

verb ges·tate \ ˈje-ˌstāt \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of gestate

gestated; gestating

transitive verb

1 : to carry in the uterus during pregnancy

2 : to conceive and gradually develop in the mind

intransitive verb

: to be in the process of gestation

Recent Examples of gestate from the Web

Will the long-gestating (and frequently-denied) rumors of Apple's iTunes Store shutdown finally come true?

— dan rys, Billboard, "The Future of Downloads, Accelerating Growth & Vinyl Vinyl Vinyl: 5 Takeaways From the RIAA Year-End Report," 22 Mar. 2018
RiRi may not be promoting an album in 2018 — her long-gestating eighth LP, ANTI, dropped back in 2016 — but that hasn’t stopped her from setting new musical records.

— refinery29.com, "Rihanna Proves She Is All The Woman Anyone Needs By Breaking This Record," 10 Mar. 2018
An epic in the Akira Kurosawa tradition, Blade features thrilling action sequences, three-dimensional characters, and long-gestating passages of suspense.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Foreign / On Video You probably missed Blade of the Immortal when it played here, but now you can catch it on DVD and BluRay," 9 Mar. 2018
There are signs Iweala knew his long-gestating novel had problems.

— dwight garner, New York Times, "A Young Man of Strict Nigerian-American Parents Comes of Age While Coming Out," 5 Mar. 2018
So are there any other songs from the album that have been gestating for some time, and why did now seem the time to release them?

— bryan kress, Billboard, "Editors' Tom Smith Outlines New Album, Collaborating With Blanck Mass & New Single 'Hallelujah (So Low)': Exclusive," 21 Feb. 2018
The next iteration of the crime anthology from creator Nic Pizzolatto had been gestating for some time, with rumors of the series plotting a comeback ever since HBO signed Pizzolatto to a three-year overall deal in 2015.

— bryn elise sandberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'True Detective' Season 3: All the Details (So Far)," 14 Feb. 2018
The status: After being in development for years, this long-gestating feature film -- a historical crime drama now backed by Netflix -- is scheduled to shoot in New Orleans from Feb. 2 to April 10.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Who's filming in Louisiana: From Tom Hanks to -- Motley Crue?," 23 Jan. 2018
As the long-gestating Motley Crue biopic The Dirt heads towards a February production start, the film is in the home sweet home stretch of firming up the leads who will play the iconic rock-and-roll hair band.

— borys kit, The Hollywood Reporter, "Motley Crue Biopic 'The Dirt' Finds Its Vince Neil, Mick Mars (Exclusive)," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gestate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gestate

back-formation from gestation

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1858

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

gestate

verb ges·tate \ ˈjes-ˌtāt \

medical Definition of gestate

gestated; gestating

transitive verb

: to carry in the uterus during pregnancy

intransitive verb

: to be in the process of gestation

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gestate

Definition of gestate

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gestate

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gestate

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gestate

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