as in to cultivate
to change (a wild animal or plant) over time to make it more suited to life with or use by humans
Humans domesticated wolves to produce man's best friend.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of domesticate
The invention of corn by Mexicans is only comparable to man’s invention of fire
— Octavio Paz
Corn was born here about 9,000 years ago, when Mesoamerican farmers first started to domesticate the wild grass known as teosinte.
—
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Not all plants and animals are domesticated (zebras versus horses are famous examples), so what traits are possessed by a good candidate for domestication?
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Uncertain how to proceed, Dalton consults several animal experts, who tell her unequivocally that hares, unlike rabbits, cannot be domesticated.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
As prevalent as chicken is today, archaeologists believe the birds were first domesticated for cockfighting, not farming — the ancient Greek city of Pergamum even built a cockfighting amphitheater.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Not all plants and animals are domesticated (zebras versus horses are famous examples), so what traits are possessed by a good candidate for domestication?
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Uncertain how to proceed, Dalton consults several animal experts, who tell her unequivocally that hares, unlike rabbits, cannot be domesticated.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
As prevalent as chicken is today, archaeologists believe the birds were first domesticated for cockfighting, not farming — the ancient Greek city of Pergamum even built a cockfighting amphitheater.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticate
Verb
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Ultimately, Severance champions the idea that merging professional roles with personal identity is key to cultivating authentic leadership.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Bezos has also been careful to cultivate social and financial ties with his family.—
Ashley Belanger,
Ars Technica,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The cause may also be as simple as not using the right rewards to train them.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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In the past 12 years, the organization has recruited and trained 82 progressive women, of whom 27 have won seats in the Legislature, including 20 women of color, according to Executive Director Susannah Delano.—
Jenavieve Hatch,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Their three-part field trip program teaches them how plants are propagated, the importance of composting and how to prepare simple, nutritious recipes.—
Jen Nation,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2025
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These were: P-waves, which oscillate back and forth similar to how a sound wave propagates; S-waves which oscillate up and down, perpendicular to the direction of travel; and surface waves, which travel along the surface of Mars similar to ripples in a pond.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Through a careful expedition using cutting-edge technology, gold has been drawn from the site for the first time in years and will be available via public auction through the sale of the coins.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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When in doubt, navigate directly to the website using an address rather than clicking through from another site.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This means boosting sponsorships, developing grassroots initiatives, and utilizing tools like sim racing to make the sport more accessible.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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For up-to-date Public Health Information and restoration of public utilities, please utilize the links and contacts below.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacramento Bee,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The show was produced with roughly $20 million, which for a six-part series financed without a streamer, is considered a very large budget by Europe’s standards.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2025
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Those attempts, in turn, produced more points than their opponents.—
Brendan Quinn,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The country started breeding the dogs over 300 years ago to hunt badgers, according to the American Kennel Club.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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Some are used as breeding stock; others are shipped directly to labs.—
ByRefael Kubersky,
science.org,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Table Rock wildfire burning in South Carolina continued to grow Thursday, but conditions that created dramatic expansion the day before eased, officials said.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2025
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There have been two straight years of enrollment gains, driven in part by an influx of students coming from Southern Illinois and again from Cook County, as well as by growing online programs.—
Molly Parker,
ProPublica,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Domesticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/domesticate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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