incubation
American-
The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.
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The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and development.
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The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.
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The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.
Other Word Forms
- incubational adjective
- incubatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of incubation
First recorded in 1605–15, incubation is from the Latin word incubātiōn- (stem of incubātiō ). See incubate, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But because meningitis has an incubation period of up to 10 days, more time is needed before the outbreak can be declared over, he said.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
As the prolonged incubation of the disease made it difficult to track and contain, officials quickly turned to vaccination, the researcher said.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
"As these seaweed accumulations grow taller and more widespread, they risk blocking hatchlings entirely, draining their limited energy or leaving them stranded. Beyond impeding movement, sargassum may also reduce nesting space and alter incubation conditions."
From Science Daily • Nov. 24, 2025
Depending on the species of vulture we're talking about, incubation ranges from 50 days to almost two months.
From Salon • May 11, 2025
Despite the din, she slipped into the trance of incubation, this time more deeply than before.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
