as in cultivating
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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Recent Examples of domesticating
But where chimps might merely poke over the ashes, our lineage at some point took the next step in promoting and even domesticating the flames — perhaps picking a smoldering stick from the edges of one grassland, and lighting the grassland in the next valley over.
—
Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025
Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticating
Verb
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By cultivating awareness and accountability across all levels of the business, leaders can turn team members into active participants who identify threats earlier, respond more effectively and play a central role in protecting sensitive information.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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High Potential premiered in September 2024, slowly cultivating a bigger and bigger audience before wrapping up its 13-episode debut season in February 2025.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Make Training Hands-On And Relatable One way to turn employees into strong cybersecurity partners is by making training hands-on and relatable.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The lawsuit says the Killen Police Department didn’t stop Webster’s behavior and accuses the police chief and the town, by extension, of condoning his actions and not properly training him.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the American redstart — a jetblack little fellow with orange splashes — pretty much stopped breeding here in the early 2000s.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
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They’re spotted foraging on golf courses and even breeding in suburban wetlands near Chicago.—
Tom Langen,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Continue propagating mature clumps by division in spring.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
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Ask how your system updates its models, handles evolving processes and prevents mistakes from propagating.—
Karpagam Narayanan,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Russian media reports suggested that Putin stopped using the residence from 2024 amid intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
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In her latest Jo + Tiny Mic series on Instagram, the Texas native shared four of her favorite secrets to instantly elevate a room, and the principles can be perfectly applied to your fall home decor using Gaines’ very own Magnolia collection at Target.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jack Cultivated a Tangible Vision Jack had a clear vision for producing a unique style of whiskey.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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That’s Liberty and the oil industry aim to survive for longer—fewer trucks, fewer rigs and fleets, fewer people, fewer emissions—fewer of everything, while producing the same or greater results.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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There were more than 3,000 new downloads of the IndyCar app over race weekend, with 80,000 fans utilizing the app on race day.—
Bruce Martin,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Among them were countless era-defining releases that are still among the best movies ever made—of any genre—from the haunting Rebecca to the gripping Rear Window, and the ravishing Vertigo to the hair-raising Psycho.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
13 Sep. 2025
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There were times when raising kids, building careers, and paying bills felt overwhelming.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Domesticating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/domesticating. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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