cultivate
Americanverb (used with object)
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cultivates,
present (3rd person singular)
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cultivated,
past participle, past
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cultivating
present participle
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to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till.
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to use a cultivator on.
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to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention.
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to produce by culture.
to cultivate a strain of bacteria.
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to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine.
to cultivate a singing voice.
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to promote the growth or development of (an art, science, etc.); foster.
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to devote oneself to (an art, science, etc.).
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to seek to promote or foster (friendship, love, etc.).
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to seek the acquaintance or friendship of (a person).
verb
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to till and prepare (land or soil) for the growth of crops
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to plant, tend, harvest, or improve (plants) by labour and skill
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to break up (land or soil) with a cultivator or hoe
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to improve or foster (the mind, body, etc) as by study, education, or labour
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to give special attention to
to cultivate a friendship
to cultivate a hobby
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to give or bring culture to (a person, society, etc); civilize
Usage
What does cultivate mean? When used literally, cultivate means to take steps to grow something or improve its growth, especially crops. When used figuratively, it means much the same thing, except that the thing being grown or improved is often an abstract thing, such as a business or a friendship. The literal sense of cultivate is most often used in the context of agriculture, but it can also refer to things being grown in a laboratory. Its figurative sense can apply to many different things, such as relationships, skills, and even cultures. Example: Farmers have cultivated a variety of crops in this region.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overcultivateverb (used with object)
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precultivateverb (used with object)
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recultivateverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cultivatesimple
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cultivatessimple
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have cultivatedperfect
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has cultivatedperfect
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am cultivatingprogressive
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are cultivatingprogressive
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is cultivatingprogressive
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have been cultivatingperfect progressive
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has been cultivatingperfect progressive
Past
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cultivatedsimple
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had cultivatedperfect
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was cultivatingprogressive
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were cultivatingprogressive
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had been cultivatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cultivate
First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin cultīvātus, past participle of cultīvāre “to till,” equivalent to cultīv(us) “tilled,” derivative of Latin colere “to inhabit, till” + -īvus -ive + -āre, infinitive suffix; cf. cult
Explanation
To cultivate is to nurture and help grow. Farmers cultivate crops, fundraising professionals cultivate donors, and celebrities cultivate their images. When you cultivate something, you work to make it better. Originally, the word referred only to crops that required tilling, but the meaning has widened. No matter what is being cultivated, the word implies a level of care that is reminiscent of gardening. Sometimes friendships come naturally and sometimes you have to cultivate them. To cultivate anything requires an attention to detail, an understanding of what is being cultivated, and a lot of patience.
Vocabulary lists containing cultivate
The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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List 7
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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.
See Examples For:
Leafcutter ants cultivate fungus for food, while ants of the Lasius genus tend aphids for their sweet secretions “like domestic cattle.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
In a society shaped by fragmentation and misperception, the capacity to remain present with complexity is one of the most urgent skills we can cultivate.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Was that a nod to the hope he might cultivate brighter relations with Northern Ireland than the Conservatives who came before him had managed?
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
What they first cultivate with silly banter and lighthearted ad-libs eases into a more vulnerable, introspective atmosphere, comparable to a cathartic therapy session.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It describes the fine, irreverent carelessness I myself would like to cultivate, in these and other matters.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
When a promotion affords her a workspace, she cultivates a fixation with paperweights, which help keep her daydreaming grounded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
How he works with the White House - and the kind of relationship he cultivates with the president - could prove crucial for implementing his agenda.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026
Its rich soil has facilitated high production levels, and the region now cultivates one third of England's vegetables and 20 percent of its potatoes and beetroots.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
She cultivates at least a single voice, stylistically appropriate, for each of her books.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025
Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Researchers also found DNA from cultivated plants, domesticated animals and Mediterranean red coral.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
In recent months, Bardella has cultivated a very different image.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
That skill is cultivated through education in the performing arts.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Kinjo says that reefs flanking his seaside farm consist entirely of corals he cultivated, with their natural peers "no longer able to keep up with a tremendous increase in stress" in the anthropogenically polluted ocean.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
We’ve thus seen that the difference between gigantic supermarket strawberries and tiny wild ones is just one example of the various features distinguishing cultivated plants from their wild ancestors.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
You’ll just end up annoying your manager or cultivating a combative relationship.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
A retired Air Force Reserve colonel and longtime foreign policy hawk, he spent decades cultivating relationships not only across Capitol Hill but with world leaders, diplomats and advocacy organizations.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
He looked to what he saw as a virtue, and wasn’t terribly interested in what cultivating it cost.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
He had, however, spent his professional life cultivating relationships at every level of the NBA ecosystem—including a special line to the Knicks’ savior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
In Jackson Park Burnham faced repeated interruptions stemming from his de facto role as ambassador to the outside world, charged with cultivating goodwill and future attendance.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
