as in to cultivate
to change (a wild animal or plant) over time to make it more suited to life with or use by humans
Humans domesticated wolves to produce man's best friend.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of domesticate
Kitty Snows is a cat who participated in the Blue Collar Cat program, a scheme to rehome strays that cannot be domesticated (having witnessed too much on the streets).
—
Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
As a team of anthropologists and archaeologists led by William D. Lipe explains, turkeys have a unique history in the land that’s now the US of A.
Turkeys are the only animal native to this part of the world to be domesticated.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Nov. 2024
The team's work revealed that the ducks in the sample appear to have been intentionally fed maize as early as A.D. 800—and may have even been domesticated by around this time.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
By the time that the 16th century Spanish conquered Mexico, the plant was domesticated and in use as an ornamental for various ceremonies.
—Norman Ellstrand and Nathan Ellstrand / Made By History, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for domesticate 
Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
As a team of anthropologists and archaeologists led by William D. Lipe explains, turkeys have a unique history in the land that’s now the US of A.
Turkeys are the only animal native to this part of the world to be domesticated.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Nov. 2024
The team's work revealed that the ducks in the sample appear to have been intentionally fed maize as early as A.D. 800—and may have even been domesticated by around this time.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
By the time that the 16th century Spanish conquered Mexico, the plant was domesticated and in use as an ornamental for various ceremonies.
—Norman Ellstrand and Nathan Ellstrand / Made By History, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for domesticate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticate
Verb
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While the grape was first approved for production as a single varietal wine in 2021, it has been cultivated in the Duero Valley since the Middle Ages and has been used in small amounts alongside Tempranillo as a blending grape, much the way Viognier is added to Syrah in the northern Rhône.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
11 Feb. 2025
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Podcasts, streaming programs and newsletters have fast become the tools of independent creators, who lack an old-school distribution system, but can easily cultivate fans and a community one subscriber at a time.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His first was a tap-in, finishing a low Raheem Sterling cross against Bolton Wanderers, but the deep run from midfield has been trained.—
Art de Roché,
The Athletic,
7 Feb. 2025
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Now, looking back on the program, five years later, Crooks-Stratton believes it’s been a success, with four teachers academies hosted and nearly a thousand teachers trained on Native subject matters, there’s been learning not only inside the classroom but the community as a whole.—
Julia Fomby,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The ideal time of year to propagate stem cuttings depends on the species, and usually, woody plants root best in soil or potting mix rather than in water.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2025
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Those fears are propagating into the way homebuyers look at new properties, into the shopping and selection process and therefore the sales process, into land development, into economic impacts and on and on.—
Jennifer Castenson,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2025
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Having left Pakistan for grad school in the US in 2008, food writer, Maryam Jillani, used cooking and experimenting in the kitchen as a conduit for staying close to her roots.—
Sonya Rehman,
Forbes,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Ukraine has deposits of 22 of 34 minerals that the EU has designated as critical, many of which are utilized in industries including defense, high-tech appliances, space and green energy.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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To get there, Munoz, a longtime Ramona resident, connected with every local gym, utilizing youth training programs that will feed the only high school in the mountain town.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The film is produced by Mark Mertens for Fabrique d’Images, Vladimir Kokh for Fantabulous, Jean-Yves Roubin for Freaks Factory, and Richard Claus and Chantal Nissen for Cool Beans.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2025
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That effort has produced what the Bridge Center contends is the largest increase nationwide in the availability of M.A.T. in emergency departments.—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The label became ingrained in hip-hop history with classic music and lore that breeds clickbait stories 20 years after its dissolution.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
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But the football field breeds impolite behavior, on every snap actually.—
Sean Gregory,
TIME,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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That’s where the idea of growing natural teeth in pigs comes in.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
7 Feb. 2025
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The service grew in 2025 to cover 13 additional states and handle more complex tax filings, according to the IRS.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near domesticate
Cite this Entry
“Domesticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/domesticate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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