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
The progression was first exploiting a food source, then managing it and then domesticating it.
—
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead, there was considerable overlap among different breeds, reinforcing the conclusion that domesticated dogs have not been structurally specialized for functional roles.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
In Delhi, the birds were domesticated in the 17th century by Muslim rulers, who used them for communication, historian Sohail Hashmi notes.
—Shefali Rafiq, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Feb. 2025
The invention of corn by Mexicans is only comparable to man’s invention of fire
— Octavio Paz
Corn was born here about 9,000 years ago, when Mesoamerican farmers first started to domesticate the wild grass known as teosinte.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Instead, there was considerable overlap among different breeds, reinforcing the conclusion that domesticated dogs have not been structurally specialized for functional roles.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
In Delhi, the birds were domesticated in the 17th century by Muslim rulers, who used them for communication, historian Sohail Hashmi notes.
—Shefali Rafiq, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Feb. 2025
The invention of corn by Mexicans is only comparable to man’s invention of fire
— Octavio Paz
Corn was born here about 9,000 years ago, when Mesoamerican farmers first started to domesticate the wild grass known as teosinte.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticate
Verb
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In Azerbaijan, the pomegranate is not only cultivated across 25,000 hectares of orchards, but celebrated in annual festivals, etched into frescoes, and lovingly folded into everything from savory stews to syrupy preserves.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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An investigation into Fuji Media revealed that the group’s TV network cultivated a culture of power imbalance and harassment.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As a professional actress, you’re trained not to make a scene.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Among those who died were two skaters, their mothers, and two coaches from the Skating Club of Boston, a prestigious rink where Olympians and recreational skaters alike have trained for more than a century.—
Jimmy Golen,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His greenhouse houses maybe 50 of his own varieties among 125 stock plants used in ongoing breeding and to propagate inventory for retail customers.—
Margaret Roach,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2025
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Misleading Social Media Advice: Platforms like TikTok propagate inaccurate tax advice, encouraging users to create fake documents or claim ineligible credits.—
Matthew F. Erskine,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Booker, who appeared to have nothing more than two glasses of water and notes on his lectern, skillfully used the rules to his advantage, permitting colleagues to ask questions to give himself brief moments of rest while still maintaining control of the floor.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
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She had been used for breeding and spent her whole life being a mom.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For up-to-date Public Health Information and restoration of public utilities, please utilize the links and contacts below.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Apparel brands, for instance, utilize digital transparency to substantiate claims of ethical sourcing and achieve higher ratings on indices such as Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index.—
David Nour,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Directed by Joachim Rønning, the movie also stars Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Gillian Anderson. Leto, Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger produce, while Russell Allen executive produces.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
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But the creative minds that produced these vehicles didn’t restrict their thinking to punchy visuals.—
Julie Belcove,
Robb Report,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Researchers also found that intentional slights like disrespect and broken promises were most likely to predict breakups, while unintentional annoyances like clutter bred dissatisfaction.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Brown is a general manager bred in a bygone era, a straight-shooting former Seton Hall outfielder who’d rather scout amateur talent than scour spreadsheets.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Table Rock wildfire burning in South Carolina continued to grow Thursday, but conditions that created dramatic expansion the day before eased, officials said.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2025
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Their empire is only bound to grow, thanks to their reality television series Paul American, out March 2025, giving viewers an inside look at their lives and businesses.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Domesticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/domesticate. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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