pollinate

verb

pol·​li·​nate ˈpä-lə-ˌnāt 

pollinated; pollinating

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

Researchers have found that east-facing flowers warm more quickly in the morning and thus attract many more pollinating insects than west-facing flowers. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Nov. 2026

Growers pollinate their plants by hand, replacing insect pollinators. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026

Many bees are used at avocado farms in Queensland to pollinate the crops, so the thefts could have a knock-on effect on other food production. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026

Even plants get in on the mimicry fun, with some mimicking the small of rotten meat to attract flies and others using their petals to trick flies into pollinating on them. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pollinate

• cross-pollinate
• self-pollinate

Rhymes for pollinate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

pollinate

verb

pol·​li·​nate ˈpäl-ə-ˌnāt 

pollinated; pollinating

: to place pollen on the stigma of