incubate
verb
in·cu·bate
| \ ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt
, ˈin-\
, ˈin-\
incubated;
incubating
Definition of incubate
1a
: 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
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Other Words from incubate
incubative
\ ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbā-tiv
, ˈin- \
adjective
, ˈin- \
adjective
incubatory
\ ˈiŋ-kyə-bə-ˌtȯr-ē
, -ˌbā-tə-rē , ˈin- \
adjective
, -ˌbā-tə-rē , ˈin- \
adjective
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Israel’s social and economic success story is, cynically seen, a great big raised middle finger to the backward and stagnant quarters that incubated and harbored the likes of Osama bin Laden. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "America’s Other ‘Special Relationship’ Remains Worth Preserving," 18 Aug. 2019 Travis Kalanick, the former Uber chief executive, has formed CloudKitchens, a start-up that incubates ghost kitchens. — New York Times, "The Rise of the Virtual Restaurant," 14 Aug. 2019 The company's history of close ties to the Obama administration left executives feeling especially vulnerable to the reactionary movement—incubated partly on Google's own video platform, YouTube—that had memed, rallied, and voted Trump into office. — Nitasha Tiku, WIRED, "Three Years of Misery Inside Google, the Happiest Company in Tech," 13 Aug. 2019 Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs built off computing technology that NASA incubated during the Apollo era, Hero said. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "How NASA’s Apollo program kicked off Silicon Valley’s tech revolution," 5 Aug. 2019 Microsoft's Bill Gates and Apple's Steve Jobs built off computing technology that NASA incubated during the Apollo era, Hero said. — Jackie Wattles, CNN, "How NASA's Apollo program kicked off Silicon Valley's tech revolution," 4 Aug. 2019 The currently unnamed flamingos, who were both artificially incubated, are the second and third of their species ever born at the Toledo Zoo. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Two Fluffy Flamingo Chicks Hatch at Toledo Zoo," 18 July 2019 Yes, Libra was incubated at Facebook, which has created worldwide attention and sparked concerns among lawmakers. — Dante Disparte For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Libra cryptocurrency is a tool for financial empowerment. Not a threat," 16 July 2019 Walmart does plan to continue to incubate its own brands, but with a focus on ones that are natural fits to be sold on Walmart.com and at Walmart stores. — Jason Del Rey, Vox, "Inside the conflict at Walmart that’s threatening its high-stakes race with Amazon," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incubate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for incubate
incubate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of incubate
of a bird
: to sit on eggs so that they will be kept warm and will hatch
of an egg
: to be kept warm before hatching
technical
: to keep (something) in the proper conditions for development
See the full definition for incubate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
incubate
verb
in·cu·bate
| \ ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt
\
\
incubated;
incubating
Kids Definition of incubate
1
: to sit upon eggs to hatch them by warmth
2
: to keep under conditions good for hatching or development
incubate
verb
in·cu·bate
| \ ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt, ˈin-
\
\
incubated;
incubating
Medical Definition of incubate
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
: to undergo incubation
the cultures incubated for five days
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