germinate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But wildflowers also need at least six weeks of coolish weather to grow after they germinate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Jumping straight into a list of major to-dos would leave little time for ideas to germinate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
And getting certification is a rigorous, costly process, as seeds need to be tested in a laboratory for their purity and things like how well they germinate.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2025
It is filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
It may come as a surprise to learn that plant seeds can resist digestion by your gut and nonetheless germinate out of your feces.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
![]()
Normally, a pollen grain that sticks to the stigma of a flower during pollination germinates into a long tube that grows straight and unbranched through the ovary to the ovules, where fertilisation takes place.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2024
Microgreens are simply the cotyledons or seed leaves, that first emerge from a seed when it germinates.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2023
As the hormone gradually breaks down over winter, the seed is released from dormancy and germinates when conditions are favorable in spring.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The need some feel to atone germinates a perceived opportunity for redemption; humans initially, ignorantly and irrationally feared the tiger-like creature, believing it to be a danger to them and their sheep.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 26, 2021
If it germinates at all, the young tree is so tiny and feeble that bushes, weeds, and grass, overtop and smother it.
From What I know of farming: a series of brief and plain expositions of practical agriculture as an art based upon science by Horace Greeley
Eight seedlings successfully germinated, with two now transferred to Logan Botanic Garden, where the climate is considered particularly suitable for rare Chilean plants.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
It is easy to laugh at the childlike naiveté of sending seeds to Mars, an idea that never germinated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
But Schneider and her colleagues believe there’s probably a healthy collection of seeds in the soil from previous years that hasn’t germinated yet that could help it recover when conditions are right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Once the grains germinated in a laboratory, the seedlings were planted in water in June, and harvesting began in early October.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
Either they were bulbs she had already planted or they had been in the sack so long they had germinated.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
![]()
Don’t trample or pick the flowers and stay on the paths because even barren ground could have seeds germinating beneath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don't have.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2025
As Lee and Johnsen prepare for the next growing season, they’re nurturing hundreds of plants inside the atrium of their home as well as germinating and starting new plants from seedlings.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
In a final step, the researchers used a chemical process to confirm whether the excreted seeds were capable of germinating.
From Science Magazine ● May 8, 2024
I put the drawing of the man with the germinating brain in my room on the wall where I can see it when I roll over.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
![]()
Vocabulary lists containing germinate
Stump Speech: Tree Terminology
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Martian
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!