hatching

verb

Definition of hatchingnext
present participle of hatch
as in spawning
to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the mallards and geese have begun hatching in their nests down by the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hatching Most of that reading, though, should be kept off the page or confined to the gentlest cross-hatching. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 About two weeks after hatching, animal care workers noticed Marlin had respiratory issues. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Black-and-yellow mangrove snakes are able to hunt independently soon after hatching. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026 Consistently hand-picking eggs and squash bugs is the best way to interrupt the squash bug life cycle and prevent new eggs from hatching. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 20 July 2026 After hatching, the baby, which is the size of a jellybean, remains in the pouch for about two months. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Microscopic modifications to bones capture traces of ancient scavenging, and tiny signatures deep inside baby dinosaur bones indicate the moment of hatching. — Kristi Curry Rogers, The Conversation, 14 July 2026 These small reptiles typically emerge from underground nests and make their way towards a suitable habitat after hatching. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026 These unique sharks, found only in Australia and New Guinea, exhibit extremely limited mobility, with offspring hatching near their parents. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hatching
  1. spawning
  2. sitting
  3. laying
Verb
  • Fly’s brand of rap, defined by spare, steely 808 beats and club shoutouts, was wildly popular, spawning nearly 50 mixtape volumes and many more songs since.
    — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This mystery has tantalized scientists since Charles Darwin mused on it in 1871, spawning no shortage of competing theories about the origins of Earth’s biology around four billion years ago.
    — Philip Ball, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of spawning
Verb
  • People instinctively grab whoever happens to be sitting beside them.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Wiley painting, which was commissioned by the State Department in 2013, features four Dominican models, two men sitting and two women standing against a blue floral backdrop.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sitting
Verb
  • Members of the public began laying flowers and candles outside the Palace in Oslo on Thursday, according to Norwegian media reports.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Crowds of well-wishers have also begun laying flowers in Palace Square in Oslo, in front of the royal palace.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of laying

Browse Nearby Words

hatchet men
hatching
hatchway
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Cite this Entry

“Hatching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hatching. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hatching

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hatching

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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