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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Recent Examples of domesticate
Now, an international team of researchers has recovered the first ancient Yersinia pestis genome from a nonhuman host — a Bronze Age domesticated sheep that lived around 4,000 years ago in what is nowmodern-day Russia.
—
Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025
If successful, the case could set precedent for how far state agencies can go in enforcing wildlife regulations, particularly when animals are domesticated and kept in private homes.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
What other Middle Tennessee city chicken laws say In Metro Nashville and Davidson County, domesticated farm animals are restricted, unless a lot size of five acres is met.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 28 July 2025
Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets suggest pigeons were domesticated as early as 5,000 years ago, and hieroglyphic evidence suggests the Ancient Egyptians used them as messengers.
—Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025
If successful, the case could set precedent for how far state agencies can go in enforcing wildlife regulations, particularly when animals are domesticated and kept in private homes.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
What other Middle Tennessee city chicken laws say In Metro Nashville and Davidson County, domesticated farm animals are restricted, unless a lot size of five acres is met.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 28 July 2025
Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets suggest pigeons were domesticated as early as 5,000 years ago, and hieroglyphic evidence suggests the Ancient Egyptians used them as messengers.
—Calista Oetama, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for domesticate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for domesticate
Verb
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Today, the best marketing leaders have to cultivate technical expertise and storytelling skills, as well as deep psychological awareness.—
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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And while stronger loyalty and business results will naturally follow, the true reward lies in cultivating those relationships.—
Geoff Robins,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shared by the dog's owner (@marleyanmy) on September 17, the viral clip shows the golden retriever, born in 2024 and based in New Zealand, confidently approaching a group of sheep to do what he had been trained for—herding.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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The climate-smoke-health connection The analysis in Nature linked three different computer models, all trained with real-world data.—
Alejandra Borunda,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Patel, a podcaster who once called for the release of the files and helped propagate conspiracy theories about why they weren’t being made public, testified just days before Acosta is set to finally tell his side of the story before a congressional committee.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
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Forest fungi are a different species (ectomycorrhizae or ECM) that are much more robust and tend to propagate through shallower soil layers.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Photonic quantum computing is a quantum computation approach that uses photons—particles of light—as qubits.—
Gil Press,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Zoryve has a unique active ingredient—roflumilast, an enzyme inhibitor that’s being used for the first time in a topical medication.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The solar panels produce electricity in DC current which is then converted to AC current utilized inside the building with an inverter.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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To review or object to instances where our partners assert a legitimate interest in utilizing your data, please visit our vendors page.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The river also serves Mexico and more than two dozen Native American tribes, produces hydropower, and supplies water to farms that grow most of the nation’s winter vegetables.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Calligraphers like Mustapha produce sacred work, such as copies of the Quran, books of religious poetry, and amulets.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Under the new Fish and Wildlife interim pintail harvest strategy, hunters in all four flyways are expected to have a three-pintail daily bag limit option for next year's 2026–'27 season based on this year's breeding population results.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
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Stay Uncomfortable Comfort breeds complacency.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Relaxed selection, when an environmental stressor is removed, has occurred in many organisms that adapt to dark conditions.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
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The conversation turned to their approaches to adapting existing material.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Domesticate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/domesticate. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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