impregnate

1 of 2

verb

im·​preg·​nate im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt 

ˈim-ˌpreg-

impregnated; impregnating

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to be filled, imbued, permeated, or saturated

impregnate wood with varnish

b

: to permeate thoroughly

2

: to make pregnant : fertilize

impregnation

(ˌ)im-ˌpreg-ˈnā-shən 

noun

impregnator

im-ˈpreg-ˌnā-tər 

ˈim-ˌpreg-

noun

impregnate

2 of 2

adjective

im·​preg·​nate im-ˈpreg-nət 

: being filled or saturated

Synonyms

Verb

• drench
• drown
• macerate
• saturate
• soak
• sodden
• sop
• souse
• steep

Choose the Right Synonym for impregnate

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid.

soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

Examples of impregnate in a Sentence

Verb

a cake impregnated with brandy

impregnated the cloth with furniture polish

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And there are squirt bottles filled with of creosote-preventing liquid, as well as logs and pellets (for pellet stoves) impregnated with these ingredients. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023

Berry gave birth to a daughter, and Lee said she was impregnated five times, but miscarried each one after being beaten by Castro. —Diana Pearl, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023

Their customs and legends are impregnated with magic. —Holly Jones, Variety, 25 Sep. 2023

Then his estranged son (James Marsden) arrives at his doorstep having just killed the online predator who impregnated his underage daughter. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023

Polanski now marries and impregnates a hot Texan blonde, Sharon Tate, and, while continuing to work abroad, plants Sharon in the exclusive preserve of 10050 Cielo Drive, Benedict Canyon. —Matt Thompson, Spin, 10 Sep. 2023

To make its point, the agency cited Hacienda HealthCare’s struggle with negative publicity after a nurse was accused of raping and impregnating an incapacitated patient. —Sahana Jayaraman, AZCentral.com, 27 June 2023

However, following reports that Jagger impregnated Brazilian model Luciana Morad, Hall went to file for divorce only to find out their nuptials were never legally binding. —Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 26 July 2023

Further research found that the stillborn was a genetic match solely to its mother, meaning that the adult crocodile impregnated herself. —Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 9 June 2023

Adjective

The genetic material was thus less effective for artificial insemination procedures to impregnate female dogs. —Kristin Lam, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2020

See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Late Latin impraegnatus, past participle of impraegnare, from Latin in- + praegnas pregnant

First Known Use

Verb

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1646, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

impregnate

verb

im·​preg·​nate

im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt

impregnated; impregnating

1

a

: to make pregnant

b

: to introduce sperm cells into

2

: to cause (a material) to be filled or soaked with something

impregnate wood with varnish

impregnation

(ˌ)im-ˌpreg-ˈnā-shən

noun

impregnator

im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt-ər

noun

Medical Definition

impregnate

transitive verb

im·​preg·​nate im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt, ˈim-ˌ 

impregnated; impregnating

1

a

: to make pregnant

b

: to introduce sperm into : fertilize

2

: to cause to be filled, imbued, permeated, or saturated

gauze impregnated with white petrolatum

impregnation

(ˌ)im-ˌpreg-ˈnā-shən 

noun