stagnate

verb

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

intransitive verb

: to become or remain stagnant
a puddle of stagnating water
wages stagnated

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.
Officials said the campus would have needed about 100 additional students to become financially sustainable, but enrollment had stagnated and retention declined. Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026 Gen Zers are battling a sluggish entry-level job market, stagnating wages, and high cost-of-living while wanting to financially prepare for the future. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026 Despite the invocation of the term 60 years ago, stagflation’s heyday was in the ’70s, when economic growth cooled, wages stagnated, and prices were rising. Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026 In the mid-nineties, as South Korea’s explosive economic growth began to stagnate, President Kim Young-sam’s Administration made a big bet on the culture industries, passing legislation to help enliven the country’s artistic production. Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 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 5 Apr. 2026.

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster