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pollinate

verb
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pol·​li·​nate | \ ˈpä-lə-ˌnāt How to pronounce pollinate (audio) \
pollinated; pollinating

Definition of pollinate

transitive verb

1 : to carry out the pollination of
2 : to mark or smudge with pollen

Examples of pollinate in a Sentence

The plants are pollinated by bees.
Recent Examples on the Web Some, like barley, lentils, and chickpeas, pollinate themselves to produce seeds. — Matt Simon, Wired, "These Rare Seeds Escaped Syria's War—to Help Feed the World," 17 Nov. 2020 The honey from Maryiza, on the other hand, is produced from bees who pollinate indigenous trees in southwestern Ethiopia’s Afromontane region. — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, "The Honey Bear Is Cute, but These Unfiltered Versions Taste So Much Better," 13 Nov. 2020 Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honey bees to pollinate many crops. — CBS News, "More "murder hornet" sightings prompt search for nest in Washington state," 5 Oct. 2020 The wildlife species that move in may pollinate crops or control pests. — Claire Kremen, The Conversation, "To save threatened plants and animals, restore habitat on farms, ranches and other working lands," 29 Oct. 2020 Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honeybees to pollinate many crops, including raspberries and blueberries. — NBC News, "Washington state discovers first 'murder hornet' nest in U.S.," 23 Oct. 2020 Farmers in the northwestern United States depend on those honeybees to pollinate many crops, including raspberries and blueberries. — Washington Post, "Trump family friend charged in stalking case in New York," 23 Oct. 2020 Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honey bees to pollinate many crops. — CBS News, "More "murder hornet" sightings prompt search for nest in Washington state," 5 Oct. 2020 Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honey bees to pollinate many crops. — CBS News, "More "murder hornet" sightings prompt search for nest in Washington state," 5 Oct. 2020

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

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First Known Use of pollinate

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for pollinate

Time Traveler

The first known use of pollinate was in 1873

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Statistics for pollinate

Last Updated

21 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pollinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollinate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for pollinate

pollinate

verb
How to pronounce pollinate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of pollinate

: to give (a plant) pollen from another plant of the same kind so that seeds will be produced

See the full definition for pollinate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

pollinate

verb
pol·​li·​nate | \ ˈpä-lə-ˌnāt How to pronounce pollinate (audio) \
pollinated; pollinating

Kids Definition of pollinate

: to transfer or carry pollen from a stamen to a pistil of a flower or from a male cone to a female cone Bees are pollinating the clover.

More from Merriam-Webster on pollinate

Nglish: Translation of pollinate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of pollinate for Arabic Speakers

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