fertilize

verb

fer·​til·​ize ˈfər-tə-ˌlīz How to pronounce fertilize (audio)
fertilized; fertilizing

transitive verb

: to make fertile: such as
a
: to apply a fertilizer to
fertilize land
b
: to cause the fertilization of
fertilizable adjective

Examples of fertilize in a Sentence

A single sperm fertilizes an egg. Bees fertilize plants as they collect nectar from flowers. He fertilizes the lawn every year. The soil is so rich there is no need to fertilize.
Recent Examples on the Web The procedure offers a chance to make a baby, with eggs that are fertilized and develop into embryos in a lab. Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Roses should be properly spaced, pruned annually to open them to air and sunlight, and fertilized and watered adequately and appropriately. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024 But only some of the eggs exposed to sperm will be fertilized, and of those, only a small fraction will develop into a mature embryo. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 With fewer eggs fertilized at a time, the process ultimately could result in longer timelines and higher costs, Davenport said. Riley Griffin, arkansasonline.com, 26 Feb. 2024 For one thing, it's helped lower the health risks for patients, because multiple eggs can be harvested from one ovarian stimulation cycle and then fertilized and frozen for future use. Maria Godoy, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 Patients self-administer hormone injections to stimulate egg production, and medical staff retrieve mature eggs from ovaries, place them in petri dishes and fertilize them with sperm. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 Nationally, about 2% of births a year involve IVF, a process by which multiple eggs are harvested, fertilized and implanted to create a pregnancy. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 That division, called meiosis, results in the egg, which can eventually be fertilized by a sperm, and three extra cells called polar bodies. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fertilize was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near fertilize

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

fertilize

verb
fer·​til·​ize ˈfərt-ᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce fertilize (audio)
fertilized; fertilizing
: to make fertile: as
a
: to cause the fertilization of
also : to unite with in the process of fertilization
a sperm fertilizes an egg
b
: to apply a fertilizer to
fertilize land
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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