vegetate

verb

veg·e·tate | \ ˈve-jə-ˌtāt

vegetated; vegetating

Definition of vegetate

intransitive verb

1 : to lead a passive existence without exertion of body or mind

2a : to grow in the manner of a plant also : to grow exuberantly or with proliferation of fleshy or warty outgrowths

b : to produce vegetation

transitive verb

: to establish vegetation in or on

Examples of vegetate in a Sentence

I just spent the weekend vegetating at home. I'm worried that after I retire I'll just sit at home, watch TV, and vegetate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Each plant takes approximately two months to root, vegetate and mature into ready-to-harvest cannabis, Goldberg said. — Kate Magill, Columbia Flier, "Howard County’s first medical marijuana dispensaries ready to open," 13 Dec. 2017 Vinnie, in the meantime, has been vegetating in squalor in a motel in Cucamonga, Calif., striking up an almost romance with an Anglophile supermarket checkout worker, Cecilia (Ms. Girten) and living on hush money from Carter. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: Sam Shepard’s ‘Simpatico,’ Cut Loose and Roaming Wild," 26 Sep. 2017 Initial Chinese news reports contained no suggestion that officials had been warned that the steep, thinly vegetated hillside could collapse. — Chris Buckley And Javier C. HernÁndez, New York Times, "Hopes Fade After Landslide Destroys Chinese Village," 24 June 2017 The water settles into three biofiltration pools and vegetated beds below the light showers, after which it can be safely used by park goers. — Barbara Sadick, WSJ, "A New Look for Urban Utility Structures," 14 Apr. 2017 For them, as for most of us, plants were just there in the background, vegetating away. — National Geographic, "There Is Such a Thing as Plant Intelligence," 21 Feb. 2016

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

History and Etymology for vegetate

borrowed from Late Latin vegetātus, past participle of vegetāre "to live, grow," going back to Latin, "to impart energy to, invigorate," verbal derivative of vegetus "vigorous, active, lively," probably, if from *vegitus, verbal adjective of vegēre "to give vigor to, enliven" — more at wake entry 1

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