pollinate

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verb pol·li·nate \ ˈpä-lə-ˌnāt \

Definition of pollinate

pollinated; pollinating

transitive verb

1 :to carry out the pollination of

2 :to mark or smudge with pollen

See pollinate defined for English-language learners

See pollinate defined for kids

Examples of pollinate in a Sentence

The plants are pollinated by bees.

Recent Examples of pollinate from the Web

In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently reviewing neonicotinoids to determine if a ban is warranted in regions where bees pollinate.

— susmita baral, Teen Vogue, "Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder, Explained," 29 Aug. 2017
Apparently, though, some of my Indian corn pollinated his silver queen, thus the few yellow kernels.

— Cincinnati.com, "Taste old fashioned, word-of-mouth cube steak," 16 Aug. 2017
Cabbage thistles can pollinate themselves, producing offspring that are clones of the parents.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Confirmed: Night Lights Drive Pollinators Away From Plants," 7 Aug. 2017
To make a long story short—the bees (primarily) pollinate the buckwheat in order to make this honey.

— alex beggs, Bon Appetit, "This Honey Is Intense and You're Going to Love It," 7 Aug. 2017
The plants have to be pollinated to produce berries, and the bees didn't do their part.

— bob gross, Detroit Free Press, "Wet spring leads to a berry bad berry season," 4 July 2017
Insects bind together nearly every ecosystem by pollinating 80 percent of food plants and recycling dead organic matter.

— andrea gawrylewski, Scientific American, "Bug Lovers, Earth’s Many Apocalypses, the Surprising Minds of Vegetative Patients and Other New Science Books," 3 July 2017
Plants that produce long, tubular flowers typically are pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies and moths that access nectar with their long tongues.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "This week's gardening tips: don't miss the City Park plant sale," 1 July 2017
In Europe, bumblebees and honeybees can be purchased and used to pollinate flowering plants.

— dick crum, Indianapolis Star, "Dr. Dirt: Pansies fade away with summer weather," 30 June 2017

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.

First Known Use of pollinate

1873

POLLINATE Defined for English Language Learners

pollinate

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verb

Definition of pollinate for English Language Learners

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

POLLINATE Defined for Kids

pollinate

play

verb pol·li·nate \ ˈpä-lə-ˌnāt \

Definition of pollinate for Students

pollinated; pollinating

: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.

Learn More about pollinate

See words that rhyme with pollinate Spanish Central: Translation of pollinate Nglish: Translation of pollinate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pollinate for Arabic speakers

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pollinate

Definition of pollinate

Examples of pollinate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of pollinate from the Web

First Known Use of pollinate

POLLINATE Defined for English Language Learners

pollinate

Definition of pollinate for English Language Learners

POLLINATE Defined for Kids

pollinate

Definition of pollinate for Students

Learn More about pollinate

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pollinate

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First Known Use of pollinate

POLLINATE Defined for English Language Learners

pollinate

Definition of pollinate for English Language Learners

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pollinate

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