as in pregnancy
the state of containing unborn young within the body
the length of gestation for the gray wolf is about 63 days
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Recent Examples of gestation
In 2007 researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute reportedly spotted a wild Graneledone boreopacifica octopus off the coast of California who went on to stay with her eggs for a record-breaking four-plus years—an even longer gestation than that of the alpine salamander.
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Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
Bongos have a gestation period of nine months, a factor that has negatively impacted their slow population growth.
—ABC News, 9 May 2026
Flack’s career took a commercial downturn after the difficult gestation of Feel Like Makin’ Love, but the album is uncompromising and inspired.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 May 2026
The medicines could be mailed or picked up at pharmacies and taken at home to end pregnancy up to 10 weeks of gestation.
—Mara Gordon, NPR, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gestation
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
Bongos have a gestation period of nine months, a factor that has negatively impacted their slow population growth.
—ABC News, 9 May 2026
Flack’s career took a commercial downturn after the difficult gestation of Feel Like Makin’ Love, but the album is uncompromising and inspired.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 May 2026
The medicines could be mailed or picked up at pharmacies and taken at home to end pregnancy up to 10 weeks of gestation.
—Mara Gordon, NPR, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gestation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gestation
pregnancy
Noun
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Most people who become infected never develop symptoms, but if a person becomes infected for the first time during pregnancy or shortly before conceiving, the parasite can cross the placenta and infect the fetus.—
Dr. Megan Yanny,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
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The reason for the decline is largely attributable to a dramatic reduction in pregnancies among teens and young women — in part due to more accessible contraception — coupled with economic instability from the Great Recession, Marquez said.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gestation. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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