germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt 
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
1
: to come into being : evolve
before Western civilization began to germinate—
A. L. Kroeber
A. L. Kroeber2
: to begin to grow : sprout
waiting for the seeds to germinate
Examples of germinate in a Sentence
methods used by gardeners to germinate seeds
Recent Examples on the Web
Supplementing a home with artificial lighting is the most efficient way to get seeds to germinate and get growing.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Cut the bottom three inches of your bunch of celery stalks and place this piece in a shallow bowl of water, supporting it with three or four toothpicks, in a manner similar to that used for germinating an avocado pit in water.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2025
Among various payloads and experiments were eight cowpea seeds ISRO had sent to space onboard the rocket to study plant growth in microgravity conditions, which germinated within four days of the launch of the mission.
—Reuters, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025
Not all seeds are fertile or survive, so only a fraction of those produced might germinate and mature themselves.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for germinate 
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Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Cut the bottom three inches of your bunch of celery stalks and place this piece in a shallow bowl of water, supporting it with three or four toothpicks, in a manner similar to that used for germinating an avocado pit in water.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2025
Among various payloads and experiments were eight cowpea seeds ISRO had sent to space onboard the rocket to study plant growth in microgravity conditions, which germinated within four days of the launch of the mission.
—Reuters, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025
Not all seeds are fertile or survive, so only a fraction of those produced might germinate and mature themselves.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for germinate
Dictionary Entries Near germinate
Cite this Entry
“Germinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germinate. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
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Medical Definition
germinate
verb
ger·mi·nate
ˈjər-mə-ˌnāt
germinated; germinating
: to cause to sprout or develop
: to begin to grow : sprout
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