INCUBATES Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

incubates

verb

present tense third-person singular of incubate

as in sits

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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as in promotes

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 incubates That person incubates the virus for five to seven days before becoming infectious to the next mosquito. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 The Blue Sky group incubates new brands for the company behind Ashley Tisdale’s Being Frenshe. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 6 May 2026 The commission’s Saudi 100 Brands program, now in its fourth year, incubates more than 100 local labels annually. — Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026 While males participate in the nesting process by bringing food; only the female incubates the eggs. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubates

Verb

Many travelers know it for its waterfall, but the real beauty is in the way the community sits between mountains, beaches, farms, and everyday Dominican life.

— Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Peter the Great’s dream The Sea of Azov is an inland sea that sits between the southern shores of Ukraine and Russia, a kind of an appendix to the bigger Black Sea.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Definition of sits

Verb

Moene argues that this wage compression promotes innovation and dynamism by boosting the profitability of growth industries and by lowering profits in lagging industries.

— Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
The insect also produces large amounts of sticky honeydew, which promotes the growth of black sooty mold—a plant disease—that can interfere with photosynthesis and coat leaves, branches, and outdoor surfaces.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of promotes

Verb

The average female lionfish spawns around 27,000 eggs every three days, so unsurprisingly, the species quickly spread throughout the Caribbean, up the East Coast and east to the Bahamas.

— Rachel Nuwer, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026
The Lifeform spawns from a black, bacterial mold that infests the yellow wallpaper and moist carpets.

— Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026

Definition of spawns

Verb

The Huntington cultivates them on-site and has distributed many to botanic gardens and zoos across the country.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
This mutually beneficial relationship strengthens organizational learning, cultivates stronger leaders, and promotes collaborative teams, ultimately positioning companies for long-term success in a rapidly changing world.

— Terri Eagle, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of cultivates

Verb

The adolescent’s ability to use their phone to access social media and continuous news, interact with artificial intelligence and play games often broadens their perspectives and encourages individual creativity.

— Elizabeth Dowdell, Fortune, 15 July 2026
The framework encourages avoiding tobacco, staying physically active, getting sufficient sleep and eating a nutritious diet built around fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds and healthy fats like olive oil.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Definition of encourages

Verb

Set in the evening, the scene broods as an unknown figure, only identifiable by his terrible Lego haircut and furry boots, stomps toward the Stallion Saloon.

— Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 June 2026
Veteran model Eva Herzigova is pictured in a sculptural skirt suit, while Liu Wen broods in a puffy leather bomber jacket.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Definition of broods

Verb

An influential alcohol industry, which nurtures deep ties to lawmakers, charitable groups, and consumers, has kept a tight grip on regulation — at the expense of public health.

— Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 July 2026
The advent of artificial intelligence is giving a new shine to a liberal arts education, which career experts say nurtures the skills valued by employers as AI increasingly changes the workplace.

— Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 June 2026

Definition of nurtures

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“Incubates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubates. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of incubates

verb

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