gestate

verb

ges·​tate ˈje-ˌstāt 

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

Examples of gestate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Laying eggs, rather than gestating offspring inside, freed dinosaurs from having to carry bigger and bigger babies for longer terms, as elephants and other large mammals do. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2025

What’s more, cloning can be hard on the surrogate mother that gestates the cloned embryo. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025

Walruses gestate for 15 months to 16 months, while several species of whales have pregnancies that last more than a year. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025

Unfortunately, thanks to the alien queen gestating inside her at time of death, her DNA is mixed with that of a xenomorph, giving her a sixth sense, super-fast reflexes, and acidic blood in her veins. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from gestation

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for gestate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Medical Definition

gestate

verb

ges·​tate ˈjes-ˌtāt 

gestated; gestating

transitive verb

: to carry in the uterus during pregnancy

intransitive verb

: to be in the process of gestation