Standard Lemma guide

gestate

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /d͡ʒɛsˈteɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: JH EH1 S T EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To carry offspring in the uterus from conception to delivery.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To develop an idea.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

be pregnant with

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She is bearing his child
  • The are expecting another child in January
  • I am carrying his child

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: have a bun in the oven, bear, carry, expect

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: give birth, deliver, bear, birth, have

4

verb

Meaning 4

have the idea for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He conceived of a robot that would help paralyzed patients
  • This library was well conceived

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conceive, conceptualize, conceptualise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: create by mental act, create mentally

Narrower terms: design, preconceive, discover, find

History

Etymology

Back-formation from gestation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: gestar — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Chinese Mandarin: 孕育 (yùnyù) — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Greek: κυοφορώ (kyoforó) — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Italian: gestare — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Portuguese: gestar — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Spanish: gestar — to carry offspring in the uterus
  • Catalan: gestar — to develop an idea
  • Portuguese: gestar — to develop an idea
  • Spanish: gestar — to develop an idea