stagnate

verb

stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating

intransitive verb

: to become or remain stagnant

Examples of stagnate in a Sentence

a puddle of stagnating water
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Whereas some members, like Vietnam, experienced strong export growth relative to the global average since 2018, export growth slowed in others, like Thailand, or stagnated, as in the case of the Philippines and Singapore. Dylan Butts, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024 Before that, there was the oil price crisis of 1998 when demand stagnated on the back of crises around the world. Courtenay Brown, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 But results and performances stagnated again this season, despite the club spending a fortune on new players: €214.5 million (almost $232.2 million) just this offseason, according to Transfermarkt. Ben Church, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024 Worse, building permits, a leading indicator of new housing starts, have also stagnated likely due to the uptrend in rental vacancy rates. Robert Barone, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stagnate 

Word History

Etymology

Latin stagnatus, past participle of stagnare, from stagnum body of standing water

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stagnate was in 1661

Dictionary Entries Near stagnate

Cite this Entry

“Stagnate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagnate. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stagnate

verb
stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating
: to be or become stagnant
stagnation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stagnate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!