Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To maintain eggs, embryos, or certain cultures under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and environment to promote their development or growth.
   • To maintain something, such as an idea or plan, in a state of development before bringing it to fruition.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To undergo the process of incubation, as an egg or pathogen.

Usage and Examples

• Transitive verb (biological context):
  • The hen will incubate her eggs for about 21 days.
  • Scientists incubate the bacterial samples at 37°C.
• Transitive verb (figurative context):
  • She needed time to incubate the concept before presenting it to the team.
• Intransitive verb:
  • The eggs are incubating in the nest.
  • The virus can incubate in the host for several days before symptoms appear.

Advanced Usage

• "to incubate an idea": To develop an idea slowly and privately.
  • He went for a long walk to incubate an idea for his novel.
• "to incubate a startup": To support the early development of a new company, often within a specialized program.
  • The tech hub was designed to incubate innovative startups.

Variants and Related Words

• Incubation (noun): The process or period of incubating.
  • The incubation period for chicken eggs is three weeks.
• Incubator (noun): An apparatus for maintaining controlled conditions for incubation.
  • The premature baby was placed in an incubator.
  • She works at a business incubator for new entrepreneurs.

Synonyms

• Brood (verb): To sit on eggs to hatch them.
• Nurture (verb): To care for and encourage the growth or development of.
• Develop (verb): To grow or cause to grow and become more mature.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(This word is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "To be in incubation": To be in a stage of development.
  • The project is still in incubation; we're not ready to launch yet.

Verb

1. sit on (eggs)
   • Birds brood
   • The female covers the eggs
2. grow under conditions that promote development