gestation
noun
ges·ta·tion
je-ˈstā-shən 
1
: the carrying of young in the uterus (see uterus sense 1) : pregnancy
2
: conception (see conception sense 3) and development especially in the mind
Examples of gestation in a Sentence
the gestation of new ideas
The book has been in gestation for a long time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trying out their research on mice was easier than doing so on elephants—for one thing, the average gestation period for a mouse is three weeks, whereas an elephant’s is twenty-two months, the longest of any mammal.
—
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Asian elephants—the extinct woolly mammoth’s closest surviving kin—require 22 months, the longest gestation period of any mammal.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Hoffman’s two-toed sloths have a gestation period of around 11.5 months.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2025
More than 80% of women will choose to terminate a pregnancy with anencephaly when detected before 24 weeks’ gestation, according to data from before the Dobbs decision.
—Almut Winterstein, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gestation
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D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Asian elephants—the extinct woolly mammoth’s closest surviving kin—require 22 months, the longest gestation period of any mammal.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Hoffman’s two-toed sloths have a gestation period of around 11.5 months.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2025
More than 80% of women will choose to terminate a pregnancy with anencephaly when detected before 24 weeks’ gestation, according to data from before the Dobbs decision.
—Almut Winterstein, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gestation
Cite this Entry
“Gestation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gestation. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gestation
noun
ges·ta·tion
je-ˈstā-shən
: the carrying of young in the uterus : pregnancy
Medical Definition
gestation
noun
ges·ta·tion
je-ˈstā-shən
1
: the carrying of young in the uterus from conception to delivery : pregnancy
2
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