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.

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

For example, some seeds in the soil rely on heat shock or smoke to germinate.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2025

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

But there is a danger point beyond that, because the seeds I have are already two years old, and next year they will be three, and each year fewer of them will germinate.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien