incubating

verb

present participle of incubate
1
as in sitting
to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the hen incubated her eggs for two weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in promoting
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 incubating Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus, also known as contact tracing, has proved difficult in Congo. — Constant Same Bagalwa, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026 Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus — also known as contact tracing — has proved difficult in Congo. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 Nesting is always perilous, but the moment when the male and female trade places is especially so, as the incubating bird’s movement may catch the attention of a predator. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 The scientists propose that Webb is catching supermassive black hole stars — up to 1 million times the mass of the sun — in the act of incubating the universe’s first big black holes. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026 Most titanosaur eggs and eggshells, like those of other dinosaurs, have been found in lower-latitude regions closer to the equator, where warmer temperatures would have made incubating the eggs easier. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 Pike's biological parents, Walker and Anchovy, had trouble incubating their egg. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2026 After incubating another egg into April, the eagles started to leave it unattended. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 During its most recent cycles, a majority of companies incubating within Y Combinator are building their structures using AI agent models. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubating
  1. sitting
  2. promoting
  3. spawning
  4. cultivating
  5. laying
  6. encouraging
  7. hatching
  8. fostering
Verb
  • The Saints are sitting at 2-4 for the season and have dropped a few close games.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Blush, bronzer, and highlighter all feature meltable formulas that seem to become part of the skin rather than sitting atop the surface.
    — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sitting
Verb
  • Chater doesn’t disagree, particularly as promoting the album has prompted more conversations about the subject.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Many classical Christian schools go a step further in their focus on reclaiming and promoting Western Christian culture.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoting
Verb
  • The popular show took on a life of its own, however, becoming his day job and spawning a Netflix series.
    — Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The area is still going strong with Hurricane Simon and appears on the verge of spawning another one that will really ramp up in strength, Klotzbach said.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of spawning
Verb
  • The challenge is not racing to construct a synthetic copy but cultivating the capacity to recognize, interface with and leverage what has been present all along.
    — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Maintaining relationships with existing owners and cultivating enthusiasm among future buyers can be just as important.
    — Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cultivating
Verb
  • The butterflies reproduce along the way, laying their eggs on milkweed plants, which are the sole food source for monarch caterpillars.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • After years of laying low, Feldman is now back with less flashy projects, quietly re-entering the real estate game with his daughter as partner in the national affordable and workforce housing firm GoodHomes.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of laying
Verb
  • Lewis George responded to the legislation on X by encouraging Congress to reject the bill.
    — Irit Skulnik, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Young posted previously about encouraging people to vote for Wagnon.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • This summer, a mosquito control company based in Silver Spring, Maryland, began introducing flocks of infertile male mosquitos in residential communities to prevent eggs from hatching.
    — Angie Orellana Hernandez, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While the folklore may be fun to talk about, the width of their bands are determined by hatching conditions, genetics and behavior of a brood, among other things, experts say.
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of hatching
Verb
  • The shelter is asking the public to consider adopting or fostering a dog to help ease the overcrowding.
    — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Strong consumer demand for digital-first experiences and digital money has spurred innovation, and central banks are fostering this through sandboxes and programs that connect banks, vendors and regulators.
    — Maghnus Mareneck, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of fostering

Browse Nearby Words

incubates
incubating
incubation
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Cite this Entry

“Incubating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubating. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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