incubator

American  

[in-kyuh-bay-ter, ing-] / ˈɪn kjəˌbeɪ tər, ˈɪŋ- /

noun

• incubators
  plural

1. an apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially.

2. an enclosed apparatus in which prematurely born infants are kept in controlled conditions, as of temperature, for protection and care.

3. an apparatus in which media inoculated with microorganisms are cultivated at a constant temperature.

4. a person or thing that incubates.

5. Business. an enterprise that provides support services to entrepreneurs refining startup concepts, in a continuing and open-ended relationship that includes access to mentoring, networking, or legal assistance, often in a collaborative workspace.

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incubator British  

/ ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪtə /

noun

1. med an enclosed transparent boxlike apparatus for housing prematurely born babies under optimum conditions until they are strong enough to survive in the normal environment

2. a container kept at a constant temperature in which birds' eggs can be artificially hatched or bacterial cultures grown

3. a person, animal, or thing that incubates

4. a commercial property, divided into small work units, which provides equipment and support to new businesses

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incubator Scientific  

/ ĭn′kyə-bā′tər /

1. An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can be controlled, often used for growing bacterial cultures, hatching eggs artificially, or providing suitable conditions for a chemical or biological reaction.

2. An apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration.

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incubator Cultural  

1. A specialized crib used in caring for infants, in which the temperature and oxygen content of the air can be controlled. Often, babies who are born prematurely will be placed in an incubator until they have become strong enough to be housed in a regular crib.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• incubators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of incubator

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin: literally, “one who lies in or upon (something); one who sleeps in a temple or shrine”; see origin at incubate, -tor

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Explanation

An incubator is a device that's basically a warm box, meant for keeping premature babies safe and cozy. Sometimes very tiny infants need to spend a little time in an incubator before they're ready to leave the hospital. Incubators are used in hospitals, but you'll also find them on farms, where they keep eggs warm before they hatch, and then protect the baby chicks. A biologist uses another type of incubator, one that controls the temperature for growing microbes or cells in a lab. Because all incubators help something grow and develop, businesspeople also use the term to mean a place or equipment that's available to help a new business get off the ground or grow larger.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incubator incubators

In San Francisco, he enrolled his startup in a training program run by Y Combinator and met Altman, who was leading the incubator at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Garry Tan, who runs the startup incubator Y Combinator, is among the loudest of those voices, casting safety-driven regulation as a threat to the small companies that cannot absorb its costs.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

It, too, considers only fetal outcomes, reducing the woman to the same thing existing guidance does: a baby incubator.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

However, keepers moved the egg to an incubator after Frank incorrectly positioned the egg between himself and French.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Fort Hare was both home and incubator of some of the greatest African scholars the continent has ever known.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

"It really can act as incubators of new ideas."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

But even with the backing of incubators and the government, solo ventures confront real challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

The babies in the ward were either in incubators or hooked on oxygen equipment, Pakistan's Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told Geo News.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Researchers believe that it first arrived with military equipment and tires shipped back from the continent following World War II. Tires make excellent mosquito incubators.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

When they opened the incubators, we got to look in and see hundreds of thousands of white eggs.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

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