stagnate

verb

stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating

intransitive verb

: to become or remain stagnant

Examples of stagnate in a Sentence

a puddle of stagnating water
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Whatever hopes United might have had in terms of transfer fees — particularly during the moments when Rashford, Sancho and particularly Antony showed flashes, during their loan spells, of talents that seemed to have stagnated at Old Trafford — are having to be scaled down rapidly. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 5 July 2025 Why does Microsoft’s Copilot appear to be stagnating while OpenAI and Claude sprint forward? Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025 If the bill passes, long term, the state would remain on the hook for funding school districts at their current levels, even if if the state's growth were to stagnate or decline, or enrollment drops unrelated to the voucher program force the state to pay for students that aren't there. Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 Just like many other cases that stagnate in the county’s criminal courts, the docket in Blackman’s case shows how a revolving cast of prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges contributed to delays. Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for stagnate

Word History

Etymology

Latin stagnatus, past participle of stagnare, from stagnum body of standing water

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stagnate was in 1661

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stagnate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stagnate. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

stagnate

verb
stag·​nate ˈstag-ˌnāt How to pronounce stagnate (audio)
stagnated; stagnating
: to be or become stagnant
stagnation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stagnate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!