Thesaurus results for DOMESTICATE

domesticate

verb

Definition of domesticate

as in to cultivate

to change (a wild animal or plant) over time to make it more suited to life with or use by humans Humans domesticated wolves to produce man's best friend.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of domesticate The not-so-obvious irony is that some 20,000 years ago, humans domesticated the wolf as protection from bears and lions. — Steve Searles, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 In a statement published in the Journal of Heredity, Bell suggested that the government should look into the possibility of domesticating manatees. — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 Study co-author and geologist Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Spain rules out cooking within Wonderwerk because fire was only opportunistically brought there—it was not domesticated yet. — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 19 June 2026 New genetic data indicates that cats feeding off the abundant rodents plundering human food stores domesticated themselves for similar reasons around 10,000 years ago. — Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for domesticate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticate

Verb

The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Newly interested in landscape design, Kim’s mother also cultivated the property’s garden, grooming its old red pine tree and planting the grounds with tulips, chrysanthemums, and daisies.

— Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

That protein then trains the immune system to learn to attack cancer cells.

— Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The tinted windows looked out onto the courts where Richardson trained some of the best young female players in the Rio Grande Valley, but the glass was one-way, and from outside, nothing that happened in the room was visible.

— Molly Hensley-Clancy, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of train

Verb

The Triglav Lodge, Slovenia’s highest-altitude guest hut at an elevation of 2,515 meters (8,251 feet), is using paper plates this summer to save water on dishes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been relatively successful at intercepting the massive numbers of drones that Russia uses in its large-scale attacks.

— Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of use

Verb

Last year, Maye was one of the league's most efficient passers and utilized his legs well, albeit against a weak schedule.

— Austin Mock, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Treatments utilizing mRNA technologies are being used in trials for other forms of cancer, including that of the bladder, kidney, lungs, stomach and pancreas, according to Tarhini.

— Sony Salzman, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of utilize

Verb

Elephant seals and sea lions bark and breed on its sandy coves.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Game fowl are bred for aggression by definition, said Jenny Berg, California state director of the Humane World for Animals, which worked with Rogers on the bill.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of breed

Verb

With no European football, Chelsea can focus on adapting to Alonso’s methods in training and to setting the long-term ‘project’ back on track.

— George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Webtoon boasts 155 million monthly active users across an array of titles that have been adapted for traditional TV and movies.

— William Earl, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026