incubated

verb

past tense of incubate
1
as in spawned
to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the hen incubated her eggs for two weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in cultivated
to help the growth or development of hopefully, these youthful visits to the museum will incubate an enduring love of art

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incubated Hint ended up coming to life after being incubated at Montauk Capital; it’s raised $10 million, and investors include Slow Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, and Brian Kelly (aka the Points Guy—a Stewart bestie who joined yesterday). — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 July 2026 Now the company has incubated a product called Ampersand, built around what Coelho calls the central accountability gap in agentic payments. — Aaron Stanley, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 According to the ancient Greeks, a mighty serpent called Ophion incubated an enormous egg that hatched into the universe and all its inhabitants. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 The collaboration comes after Ephea was incubated by Kering’s Material Innovation Lab in Milan, which identifies, evolves, and helps to operationalize hundreds of alternative materials, with the hope of embedding them into brand collections. — Bella Webb, Vogue, 11 June 2026 The scientists demonstrated that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) spontaneously formed when mixtures of purified coat protein and its genomic RNA were incubated together. — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026 These arachnids hatch from eggs incubated in moist woodchuck feces, then affix themselves to the nearest dupe naïve enough to leave the city. — Jay Ruttenberg, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 The turtles crawl out of the ocean, dig holes in the sand, then deposit dozens of eggs to be incubated by the summer sun, experts say. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 June 2026 La Complice was incubated at Harvard’s Innovation Labs and is participating in Harvard’s selective Rock Accelerator program. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubated
  1. spawned
  2. cultivated
  3. hatched
  4. promoted
  5. sat
  6. encouraged
  7. laid
  8. nurtured
Verb
  • The film’s success spawned several sequels, including Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But their approach has also spawned backlash to the backlash, with some calling on McCarty to put a stop to the disruptions.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of spawned
Verb
  • 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
  • The professor also said that products that are cell-cultivated will still taste different, no matter the packaging.
    — Sooji Nam, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of cultivated
Verb
  • The baby falcons hatched in early May after their falcon parents, Vixen and Dave, nested in a crevice on the second floor of the exterior of Aurora City Hall.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • So, along with the viral OnlyFans account, students hatched the plan to run the first-ever Fat Marmot Week.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hatched
Verb
  • Rookie slugger Bryce Eldridge, promoted in May, was in there, of course.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Blakeman is well liked in Nassau, one of the most populous counties in New York, and has promoted himself as a centrist in campaign advertising.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of promoted
Verb
  • This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of sat
Verb
  • Students avoided asking questions that could be considered controversial, and teachers no longer encouraged open discussion.
    — Fatima Faizi, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Patients should be encouraged to ask who manufactured the product, why it is being recommended, whether FDA has evaluated it and how to report an adverse reaction.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Barboza, who hadn't secured a win since October 2023 and had taken significant damage in recent bouts, laid his gloves down in the octagon.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • With the pitch being re-laid, have we finally got rid of the slope?
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of laid
Verb
  • At some point, the heart has to intervene for the soul of the clubs, which is often nurtured by those who come all the way through the ranks.
    — Art de Roché, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Since the 12th century London's guilds have nurtured generations of artisans, preserving skills while allowing each craft to evolve with every new era.
    — Divia Thani, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of nurtured

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incubate
incubated
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Cite this Entry

“Incubated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubated. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of incubated for Spanish Speakers

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