INCUBATING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

incubating

verb

present participle of incubate

as in sitting

to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the hen incubated her eggs for two weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in promoting

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 incubating Most titanosaur eggs and eggshells, like those of other dinosaurs, have been found in lower-latitude regions closer to the equator, where warmer temperatures would have made incubating the eggs easier. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 Pike's biological parents, Walker and Anchovy, had trouble incubating their egg. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2026 After incubating another egg into April, the eagles started to leave it unattended. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 During its most recent cycles, a majority of companies incubating within Y Combinator are building their structures using AI agent models. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Molecular clouds can also be stellar nurseries, incubating new stars and planets in their depths. — Damien Pine, Scientific American, 13 July 2026 Believing a rock to be an egg, Roy and Silo took turns incubating it. — Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026 Matt was incubating and backing businesses like Resy, betting that New York’s density and culture were features, not bugs. — Patrick Chun, Fortune, 26 May 2026 Portman also has two new projects incubating. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubating

Verb

Water could exist beneath a chokingly thick atmosphere, as high-pressure ice, or sitting above an inhospitable interior.

— Alix Freckelton, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Upstairs, the entirety of the tiny cottage is the apartment’s primary suite, surrounded by outdoor space, including a sitting area with its own wood-burning fireplace.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of sitting

Verb

While promoting his new show Brothers, McConaughey managed to carve out some spon-con time for his tequila, Pantalones.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Big firms such as Latham & Watkins, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale are promoting their white-glove services to data center clients on their websites.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of promoting

Verb

The format was part talk show, part first date, and the tone was often flirtatious and awkward, spawning several viral moments over the years.

— Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
Despite a mixed reception from critics upon its release, Cruel Intentions has since become a cult classic, spawning a prequel, a sequel, a jukebox musical, and a TV series.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of spawning

Verb

The novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch argued that the slow, daily work of cultivating good attachments and trying to see reality clearly is more effective than will power.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Dozens of farms are cultivating different types of seaweed in New England, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

— Amy Taxin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of cultivating

Verb

There’s a history of even the best Bengals teams laying eggs in the opener, and Mayfield is 3-0 in Week 1 with Tampa and is coming off his new contract.

— Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Two bells chimed during the ceremony and there was a wreath-laying at the Flight 93 memorial.

— Kaanita Iyer, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of laying

Verb

Several featured in a short film aimed at encouraging people to have the confidence to start a conversation about suicide.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
At its height, the group controlled vast territory and millions of people in Iraq and Syria while encouraging or directing attacks far beyond its borders.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Verb

Since then, the species has been through 13 breeding seasons, with recovery efforts working to overcome challenges associated with low genetic diversity, including infertility and poor hatching success.

— Adela Suliman, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
After hatching, the pups will transition to a sea pen to get used to the natural marine environment and develop foraging skills.

— Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of hatching

Verb

In the area that later became the United States, as many as 600,000 Native Americans were enslaved during this period, with many more stolen from families into the twentieth century through boarding school, fostering, and adoption programs.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Cats need your help in Los Angeles, and fostering may be one answer.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of fostering

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incubating

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“Incubating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubating. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of incubating

verb

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