incubate
verb
in·cu·bate
ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt 
ˈin-
incubated; incubating
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
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
If the Beatles at Shea Stadium in ’65 was packed with shrieking teenage fans, the All Starrs at the Venetian incubated quite a different ambience about six decades later.
—
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
Besides lacking scientific credibility or moral standing, quarantining West Point assumed that all seventy thousand residents at West Point were incubating Ebola.
—Edna Bonhomme, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
Shadow was seen incubating the eggs just before 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director Sandy Steers wrote on Facebook.
—Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
The job of the innovation lab is to incubate new technology at businesses and then help scale.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incubate
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Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
Besides lacking scientific credibility or moral standing, quarantining West Point assumed that all seventy thousand residents at West Point were incubating Ebola.
—Edna Bonhomme, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
Shadow was seen incubating the eggs just before 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director Sandy Steers wrote on Facebook.
—Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
The job of the innovation lab is to incubate new technology at businesses and then help scale.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incubate
Cite this Entry
“Incubate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incubate. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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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