INCUBATE Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

incubate

verb

ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt

Definition of incubate

as in to spawn

to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the hen incubated her eggs for two weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to promote

to help the growth or development of hopefully, these youthful visits to the museum will incubate an enduring love of art

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incubate Since the pair formed in 2018, fans have watched them weather freezing winter storms, incubate eggs and dote on fuzzy chicks. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 After incubating another egg into April, the eagles started to leave it unattended. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 Hint ended up coming to life after being incubated at Montauk Capital; it’s raised $10 million, and investors include Slow Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, and Brian Kelly (aka the Points Guy—a Stewart bestie who joined yesterday). — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 July 2026 To detain people who looked perfectly healthy, Ragusa’s councillors had to grasp that a disease might incubate unseen—an intuition that arrived roughly five centuries before germ theory could explain it. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for incubate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubate

Verb

South Florida’s turbulent weather since the weekend that killed a mother and her daughter, spawned an Everglades wildfire, and mixed heat with storms looks to remain unsettled — including for Friday’s Miami Dolphins home game.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of spawn

Verb

When applied to the scalp, certain peptides can send signals that promote follicle function, extend the growth phase of the hair cycle, and strengthen the tissue surrounding the follicle.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026
Trump has also promoted the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities and navy, and the reduction in missile and drone capabilities, as measures of success.

— Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of promote

Verb

Producer and 10 Lives founder and CEO Daniel Catullo set the stage for such a party by introducing the film and encouraging audience members to get out of their seats during the showing and record clips of the doc.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
So his church—which has raised many millions of dollars for good causes, and operates a local food pantry and food truck—decided to distribute lawn signs simply encouraging people to be kind.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of encourage

Verb

For leaders, cultivating an environment where people actively seek out and fill these gaps is what separates adaptive companies from stagnant ones.

— Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
For years, the British American brothers cultivated the image that laws did not apply to them even as legal troubles mounted in the UK, Romania and the US.

— Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

In addition, Autograph Hotels for the second consecutive year will host the festival’s VIP party at the historic Algonquin Hotel, where the New Yorker’s founders gathered to lay the groundwork for the magazine more than a century ago.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Early settlers of the Valley constructed the Salt River's first dams and laid the groundwork for the area's future.

— Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of lay

Verb

City leaders and the WACO Theater Center see the reopening as an economic and cultural engine that is expected to draw thousands of patrons, spotlight Leimert Park’s Black Cultural Arts District and nurture emerging local artists.

— LaMonica Peters, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The heavy snows purify the air and insulate the food warehouses, locking in the high humidity and stable chill necessary to nurture delicate winter koji and yeast strains without catastrophic temperature spikes.

— Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026