ferment

1 of 2

verb

fer·​ment (ˌ)fər-ˈment How to pronounce ferment (audio)
fermented; fermenting; ferments

intransitive verb

1
: to undergo fermentation
The wine ferments in oak barrels.
2
: to be in a state of agitation or intense activity
everything ferments in him—his thoughts, sensations, and memories; nothing stays quietJanet Flanner

transitive verb

1
: to cause to undergo fermentation
Yeast ferments the sugar in the juice.
2
: to work up (as into a state of agitation) : foment
fermentable adjective

ferment

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a living organism (such as a yeast) that causes fermentation by virtue of its enzymes
b
: enzyme
2
a
: a state of unrest : agitation
b
: a process of active often disorderly development
the great period of creative ferment in literatureWilliam Barrett

Examples of ferment in a Sentence

Verb The wine ferments in oak barrels. Yeast ferments the sugar in the juice. Noun The city was in a state of ferment after the election. the city was in ferment as its residents nervously awaited the outcome of the referendum vote
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The remaining 49 percent can be fermented sugars (essentially a mixto), the spirit can be barrel aged, and flavoring and coloring are both allowed to be added. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Since cachaça is fermented from sugarcane plants, the liquor carries earthy, grassy, or (when aged) spicy or fruity flavors. Brittany Leitner, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2024 Made from milk fermented with the bacteria, or probiotics, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, yogurt is rich in calcium, protein, B vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Others have live active cultures stirred directly in, rather than fermenting. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 All that liquid is open-air fermented before hitting a four-plate copper pot-column still custom-made for the distillery and designed to concentrate the flavors imparted into the whiskey by the unique grains used in each batch. Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 This minimizes the risk of the fruit oxidizing or fermenting from sitting out for too long post-harvest. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 Some pickles are fermented, but there are two ways to make pickles. Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 15 Feb. 2024 View Recipe What Is Orange Wine, Anyway? Test kitchen wisdom: Orange wine, simply put, is made from white grapes that have been fermented with their skins (like red wine). Inés Anguiano, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2024
Noun
Barrera will prepare a rustic bistro wine dinner, and the evening will include a bottle list of low intervention, wild ferment, organic and sustainable wines by Diego Aliste. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 To that end, Stewart restricts yields in the vineyard to concentrate flavor, sorts grape clusters and individual berries with a meticulous eye, and slowly and gently ferments to achieve maximum extraction. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024 The mixture ferments over a period of days or weeks, turning alcoholic as the yeast eats the sugar, then ferments again, over some months, becoming vinegar. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 The late Qing era was a time of great intellectual ferment, and Chinese thinkers—some in exile in Japan—continued to debate theories such as Kang’s in an array of new journals. Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The collection is made with a custom technology: a bioactive keratin ferment. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 An erotic craving is inextricable from the ferment that foams up when oneself is sluiced into another. Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 Once the two ingredients are mixed together, the mix ferments and creates a natural yeast. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 6 Feb. 2024 The crucial factors will be the domestic ferment and the pressure from China…. James Rosen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ferment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Latin fermentum yeast — more at barm

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ferment was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ferment

Cite this Entry

“Ferment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ferment. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ferment

1 of 2 verb
fer·​ment (ˌ)fər-ˈment How to pronounce ferment (audio)
1
: to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation
2
: to be or cause to be in a state of unrest or excitement
fermentable adjective
fermenter noun

ferment

2 of 2 noun
fer·​ment ˈfər-ˌment How to pronounce ferment (audio)
1
: an agent (as a yeast) that is capable of causing fermentation
2
: a state of unrest or excitement

Medical Definition

ferment

1 of 2 intransitive verb
fer·​ment (ˌ)fər-ˈment How to pronounce ferment (audio)
: to undergo fermentation

transitive verb

: to cause to undergo fermentation
fermentable adjective

ferment

2 of 2 noun
fer·​ment
ˈfər-ˌment also (ˌ)fər-ˈ
1
a
: a living organism (as a yeast) that causes fermentation by virtue of its enzymes
b
: enzyme
2

More from Merriam-Webster on ferment

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