incubate

verb

in·​cu·​bate ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt 

ˈin-

incubated; incubating

transitive verb

1

a

: to sit on (eggs) so as to hatch by the warmth of the body

b

: to maintain (something, such as an embryo or a chemically active system) under conditions favorable for hatching, development, or reaction

2

: to cause or aid the development of

incubate an idea

intransitive verb

1

: to sit on eggs

2

: to undergo incubation : develop

incubative

ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbā-tiv 

ˈin-

adjective

incubatory

ˈiŋ-kyə-bə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˌbā-tə-rē

ˈin-

adjective

Synonyms

• brood
• hatch
• set
• sit

Examples of incubate in a Sentence

The female bird incubates the eggs.

Researchers incubated the cells in the laboratory.

The cultures must incubate for five more days.

The virus will incubate in the body for several days before the patient experiences any symptoms.

Recent Examples on the Web

Snipes has ridden an entrepreneurial track alongside his acting career and is actively incubating several ventures in the tech space, including a mobile platform. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024

As generative AI tools grow more commonplace, platforms that give up on trying to blot out bots will incubate an online world in which work created by humans becomes increasingly harder to find on platforms swamped by AI. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 28 Oct. 2024

As part of the partnership, Spotify will also join Universal ID 2.0, a cookie-less ad-targeting framework that was incubated by The Trade Desk years ago amid the deprecation of third-party internet tracking cookies. —Sara Fischer, Axios, 22 Oct. 2024

Taking time out from the rat race, allows your ideas to incubate. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin incubatus, past participle of incubare, from in- + cubare to lie

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

incubate

verb

in·​cu·​bate ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt 

ˈin-

incubated; incubating

1

: to sit on eggs to hatch them by warmth

2

: to maintain (as bacteria or a chemically active system) under conditions good for development or reaction

3

: to go through the process of incubation

Medical Definition

incubate

verb

in·​cu·​bate ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt, ˈin- 

incubated; incubating

transitive verb

1

: to maintain (as eggs, embryos of animals, or bacteria) under prescribed and usually controlled conditions favorable for hatching or development especially in an incubator

2

: to maintain (a chemically active system) under controlled conditions for the development of a reaction

intransitive verb

: to undergo incubation

the cultures incubated for five days