incubate

/ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt ˈin-/ (ame, mw)

incubate — 動詞

  • incubatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • incubateshe / she / it
  • incubatedpast simple
  • incubating-ing form

1. If a bird sits on its eggs so the eggs stay warm and the babies inside can grow

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

孵蛋；孵化

鳥用體溫使蛋發育成小鳥

If a bird sits on its eggs so the eggs stay warm and the babies inside can grow until they break out of the shell, the bird incubates the eggs; the eggs themselves are also said to incubate during that period.

例句

The female penguin incubates her single egg on top of her feet for two months.

母企鵝會把唯一的蛋放在腳上孵蛋，整整孵兩個月。

subject = bird; transitive: incubate + eggs

Christopher watched the hen turn the brown eggs it was incubating in the nest box.

Christopher 看著母雞小心地翻動牠正在孵的蛋，那些蛋就放在木製的雞窩裡。

transitive use; typical farm setting

同義詞
  • brood

    more specific to a bird sitting on its eggs; often used as a noun for the eggs/chicks too

  • hatch

    focuses on the moment the young come out, not the long warming period

文法句型

[bird] + incubate + eggs

eggs + incubate

用法筆記

Subject is almost always a bird (or a bird-keeper acting on the bird's behalf). Distinguish from sense 3: sense 1 is the natural body-warmth behaviour of a bird; sense 3 is the lab or farm technique of using a machine.

常見錯誤

❌The mother dog incubated her puppies.
✅The mother dog kept her puppies warm.
💡'incubate' is used with eggs and unborn animals that develop inside an egg, not with live newborn mammals.

2. When sickness-causing germs grow quietly inside the body of someone (or an anima

2.動詞及物 / 不及物C2
釋義

潛伏

病毒在體內悄悄繁殖、尚未發病的階段

When sickness-causing germs grow quietly inside the body of someone (or an animal) during the gap between catching the germ and feeling unwell, they incubate; the host can also be said to incubate them during this silent stage.

例句

The flu virus usually incubates for one to four days before any symptoms appear.

流感病毒通常潛伏一到四天，病人才會感覺到任何症狀。

intransitive: [virus] + incubate + for [duration]

Lan was already incubating the measles virus when she boarded the flight home from Manila.

Lan 從馬尼拉搭機回家時，身體裡其實已經在潛伏麻疹病毒了。

transitive: [person] + be incubating + [disease]

同義詞
  • develop

    general; lacks the specific 'silent pre-symptom' meaning

  • harbour

    the person carries the germ but doesn't suggest the germ is multiplying

文法句型

[virus / bacteria] + incubate

[person] + incubate + [virus / disease]

用法筆記

Often passive-leaning or with a person as subject acting as a silent carrier — the person isn't doing anything actively. Distinguish from sense 3: this is about a sickness growing inside a body, not a scientist controlling conditions in a lab.

常見錯誤

❌He incubated a cold for two days, then took medicine.
✅The cold virus incubated for two days before he had any symptoms.
💡'incubate' here describes the silent build-up before symptoms; saying a person 'incubated a cold' as a complete past event sounds odd in everyday English.

3. In a science lab or on a farm, to hold living material such as cells, bacteria,

3.動詞及物C2
釋義

培養；培育

在實驗室控制條件下培養細胞、細菌或胚胎

In a science lab or on a farm, to hold living material such as cells, bacteria, or embryos at a steady temperature under carefully chosen conditions, often inside a special heated box, so that it grows, hatches, or reacts properly.

例句

Élise incubated the bacterial samples at thirty-seven degrees overnight to count the colonies later.

Élise 把細菌樣本放在攝氏三十七度下培養一整晚，隔天早上再數菌落數量。

transitive: incubate + sample + at [temp] + [duration]

The lab technician incubated the fertilised chicken eggs in a warm machine for three weeks.

實驗室技術員把受精的雞蛋放進保溫機器裡培育了三週。

controlled-equipment use; passive scientific subject

同義詞
  • culture

    specific to growing bacteria or cells in a controlled medium

  • hatch

    egg-specific; doesn't cover the keep-at-temperature stage that comes first

文法句型

[scientist] + incubate + [cells / sample] + at [temperature]

incubate + [sample] + for [duration]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a scientist, lab worker, or breeder; the object is the biological material being kept under controlled conditions. Distinguish from sense 1: a bird's body heat versus a machine or carefully managed room.

常見錯誤

❌I incubated the cookies in the oven.
✅I baked the cookies in the oven.
💡'incubate' is reserved for living material like cells, eggs, or bacteria, not for cooking food.

4. When an idea, plan, or new business grows quietly over time before it is ready t

4.動詞及物 / 不及物C2
釋義

醞釀；孕育

想法或計畫在暗中慢慢成形的過程

When an idea, plan, or new business grows quietly over time before it is ready to be shown to others, it incubates; a person, group, or place that helps such a project grow this way is also said to incubate it.

例句

Kemi let the story idea incubate for several months before writing the first chapter.

Kemi 讓這個故事構想醞釀了好幾個月，才開始寫第一章。

intransitive: [idea] + incubate; informal extended meaning

The university programme incubates ten student start-ups each year with free office space and advice.

這所大學的計畫每年會孕育十個學生創業團隊，提供免費的辦公空間跟建議。

transitive: [place] + incubate + [start-ups]

同義詞
  • nurture

    active care; 'incubate' suggests the project grows on its own with some shelter

  • develop

    general; lacks the slow, quiet, behind-the-scenes feel of 'incubate'

文法句型

[idea / plan] + incubate

[person / place] + incubate + [idea / business]

用法筆記

Figurative use; often found in business and creative writing. Distinguish from sense 2: the development here is positive (toward launch or completion), while sense 2 is negative (toward sickness).

常見錯誤

❌After the meeting we incubated the decision quickly.
✅After the meeting we made the decision quickly.
💡'incubate' suggests a slow, quiet period of growth, not a fast choice.