gestate

verb ges·tate \ ˈje-ˌstāt \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 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

Millions of women are unable to get pregnant or cannot safely gestate or deliver a baby.

— glenn fleishman, Fortune, "Transplanted Wombs Provide Potential Path to Fertility for Millions of Women," 18 June 2018
There was impactful news stateside as well; 3-D gun pioneer Cody Wilson won a long-gestating lawsuit against the US, meaning he's now allowed to distribute his designs freely.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "Security Roundup: Ukraine Blocked a Russian Hack of Its Critical Infrastructure," 14 July 2018
Tamarins typically breed between September and March, gestating for about four and a half months, and twin births are typical.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "The National Zoo’s Golden Lion Tamarins Delight Curators with the Delivery of Twins," 3 July 2018
Actor Bill Murray’s long gestating South Carolina food truck park is finally set to open, according to multiple media outlets in Charleston.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Actor Bill Murray's long-planned food truck park is opening this summer in SC," 7 June 2018
One baby that would stand out at the Met Gala was the fetus currently gestating inside Cardi.

— New York Times, "In the Name of Cardi, Let Us Pray," 8 May 2018
By way of contrast, Schrader mentions his old partner Scorsese's recent Silence—another long-gestating auteur film about faith and god and the man making it.

— zach baron, GQ, "Paul Schrader Isn't Done Yet," 18 May 2018
In the late Obama years, entertainers sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement gestated a blend of personal narrative and political rhetoric that gained mainstream traction and produced some sensational works.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Can Protest Art Get Its Mojo Back?," 7 May 2018
The news that twins were gestating inside me had taken me weeks to absorb, and the sudden shift in my fate was disorienting.

— daniela blei, The Cut, "The History of Talking About Miscarriage," 23 Apr. 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.