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as in to propagate
to cause (something, as a seed) to grow
She began by reading up on the best ways to germinate apple seeds.
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Recent Examples of germinate
Some factors common to many invasive plants include rapid growth and early maturity, production of many seeds, wide dispersal of seeds by birds and wind, seeds that germinate quickly, few natural enemies, and an ability to reproduce vegetatively.
—
Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Farmers in Morocco relied heavily on drought-tolerant barley, which can germinate with limited moisture and mature before peak summer heat.
—Stephen Acabado, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
Papaya seeds that are dried will need more time to germinate.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 13 Jan. 2026
Because spores require high humidity to germinate, one way to prevent infection is to reduce humidity in the leaf canopy by increasing air circulation.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Farmers in Morocco relied heavily on drought-tolerant barley, which can germinate with limited moisture and mature before peak summer heat.
—Stephen Acabado, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
Papaya seeds that are dried will need more time to germinate.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 13 Jan. 2026
Because spores require high humidity to germinate, one way to prevent infection is to reduce humidity in the leaf canopy by increasing air circulation.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for germinate
Verb
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When censorship finally began to ease in the 1990s, Korean filmmakers emerged with a profound understanding of cinematic storytelling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Before Papaya, Guez ran businesses helping companies move and employ workers in emerging markets.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Using her background in cellular biology, Gueble propagated cell cultures that mirrored cancerous cells lacking MGMT and MMR.—
Isabella Backman,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
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The shape and brightness of the rekindled tail trace the complex interactions that occurred between the AGN’s ejected jet and the ICM as the jet propagated outward.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Modular software drives robots The platform emphasizes that software can evolve independently of hardware, enabling robots to learn new tasks and improve over time.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
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But as the practice evolved, eager writers like Jefferson and John Adams (but not George Washington or James Madison, for instance), gravitated to a richer, sympathy-bearing idiom, which no doubt bled into intimate speech, now lost.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Our show is produced by Chris McLeod of Blue Elevator Productions and Josh Billinson of Semafor Media.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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The only viable explanation is that an even higher-energy particle — a more stable one — must have struck the upper atmosphere of the Earth and produced a particle shower, where those decaying particles led to the presence of these muons.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As chips used in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing become more complex, demand has grown for more advanced testing equipment to ensure quality and reliability.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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Al-Maliki ended his second term in 2014 after the Obama administration’s growing frustration with his security blind spots that saw the rise of the Islamic State in the same year across a large swathe of Iraqi and Syrian territory.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/germinate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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