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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
Remove the cover once the seeds germinate, which typically takes seven to 14 days.
—
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
Outside the context of collective trauma, psychologists theorize that personal hardships can germinate into do-good behaviors later on, especially if the individual was the recipient of help during their struggle.
—Pauline Bartolone, NPR, 23 May 2026
And try to plant at least one veggie that germinates quickly — radishes, for example.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
Unlike most fungal diseases, powdery mildew does not require free water on leaf surfaces to germinate; in fact, moisture on leaves can inhibit spore development.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
Outside the context of collective trauma, psychologists theorize that personal hardships can germinate into do-good behaviors later on, especially if the individual was the recipient of help during their struggle.
—Pauline Bartolone, NPR, 23 May 2026
And try to plant at least one veggie that germinates quickly — radishes, for example.
—Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
Unlike most fungal diseases, powdery mildew does not require free water on leaf surfaces to germinate; in fact, moisture on leaves can inhibit spore development.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for germinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for germinate
Verb
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Immigration policy also emerged as a recurring issue following debate last year over sanctuary-city policies and protections for immigration communities.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
3 June 2026
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Their job duties include studying emerging viral pathogens, prosecutors said.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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In distributing these weak linkages throughout a material like polystyrene, the mechanophores split in two as a crack begins to propagate, successfully redirecting the crack and dissipating the destructive energy.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
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Because the cracks were propagating underneath.—
Dan Mangan,Emma Graham,Hugh Leask,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
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With a particular emphasis on Europe and China, this quickly evolved into the idea of a creative residency to support Chinese design talent through the Kering ecosystem.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
4 June 2026
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Demie worked closely with the show’s makeup and wardrobe stylists to craft Maddy’s look, helping the character evolve from someone obsessed with being the perfect girlfriend in the first half of Season 1, to a bolder, hyper-feminine rejection of the softness her boyfriend had expected of her.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The second highest waste generator that year, Tesla’s plant in Fremont, produced 115,136 pounds of MMA waste, by comparison, records show.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Keeping with the old school vibe, the band pulled in old friends Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) and Matt Appleton (Reel Big Fish) to produce.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
Verb
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All the back-and-forth came to an ice-cold end to start the second half as the Knicks only mustered two points through the first five minutes of the third quarter, as the Spurs’ lead grew to as many as 14.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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The growing dependence on OpenAI has also raised questions over what happens if enthusiasm surrounding AI valuations cools.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/germinate. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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