emer·gent
i-ˈmər-jənt 
1
a
: arising unexpectedly
b
: calling for prompt action : urgent
emergent danger
2
a
: rising out of or as if out of a fluid
emergent coastal islands
b
: rooted in shallow water and having most of its vegetative growth above water
an emergent plant
3
: arising as a natural or logical consequence
4
: newly formed or prominent
emergent nations
1
: something emergent
2
a
: a tree that rises above the surrounding forest
b
: an emergent plant
Examples of emergent in a Sentence
Adjective
since the problem was not seen as emergent, implementation of the expensive solution for it was continually put off
Recent Examples on the Web
Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Sheffield could be the emergent star, but that is just speculation right now.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Variation in school-level budgets will be allocated based on enrollment, with additional resources for schools with emergent needs, said Mike Sitkowski, the district’s chief budget officer.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for emergent
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.
Adjective
The district serves approximately 22,000 emergent bilingual students whose families speak more than 100 languages, including Spanish, Pashto, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Arabic.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Sheffield could be the emergent star, but that is just speculation right now.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Noun
In the Austin district, 50.2% of students are categorized as economically disadvantaged — a lower rate than most urban districts in Texas — and 31.4% are emergent bilingual, according to TEA data.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Variation in school-level budgets will be allocated based on enrollment, with additional resources for schools with emergent needs, said Mike Sitkowski, the district’s chief budget officer.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for emergent
Cite this Entry
“Emergent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emergent. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
emergent
adjective
emer·gent
i-ˈmər-jənt
: calling for prompt or urgent action
an emergent condition in a hemophiliac
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share