domesticate

American  

[duh-mes-ti-keyt] / dəˈmɛs tɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

domesticated, domesticating

1. to convert (animals, plants, etc.) to domestic uses; tame.

2. to tame (an animal), especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.

3. to adapt (a plant) so as to be cultivated by and beneficial to human beings.

4. to accustom to household life or affairs.

5. to take (something foreign, unfamiliar, etc.) for one's own use or purposes; adopt.

6. to make more ordinary, familiar, acceptable, or the like.

   to domesticate radical ideas.

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verb (used without object)

domesticated, domesticating

1. to be domestic.

domesticate British  

/ dəˈmɛstɪˌsaɪz, dəˈmɛstɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to bring or keep (wild animals or plants) under control or cultivation

2. to accustom to home life

3. to adapt to an environment

   to domesticate foreign trees

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Other Word Forms

• domesticable adjective
• domestication noun
• domesticative adjective
• domesticator noun
• nondomesticated adjective
• nondomesticating adjective
• overdomesticate verb (used with object)
• undomesticable adjective
• undomesticated adjective
• well-domesticated adjective

Etymology

Origin of domesticate

First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin domesticātus (past participle of domesticāre ), equivalent to domestic- domestic + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To domesticate something is to tame a wild animal or plant so it can live with people. Dogs and cats are called domesticated animals because they live with us peacefully. Nobody knows who first domesticated a wolf, but whoever it was was a very important person. If people hadn't started living with wolves, slowly domesticating them and teaching them to get along with people, wolves would never have evolved into today's dogs. We usually talk about how to domesticate animals, but wild plants can be domesticated too.

Example Sentences

"We can use these modern tools to domesticate undomesticated crops."

From Science Daily • Jan. 11, 2026

T1 and Canadian Solar have made particularly big strides in the last couple of months to fully domesticate their supply chains so they can take advantage of the government subsidies.

From Barron's • Dec. 9, 2025

And yet none of them voted against it; some tried to domesticate it or expressed hope that South Carolina would be ready for a bill this extreme in the future.

From Slate • Nov. 21, 2025

A local wildlife sanctuary advised him that feeding the animal was allowed as long as he didn't domesticate her.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024

Why have we failed to domesticate such a prized food source as acorns?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• naturalize