Standard Lemma guide

incubator

noun · 6 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.

  • UK: /ˈɪn.kjuːˌbeɪ.tə(ɹ)/
  • US: [ˈɪn.kjuːˌbeɪ.ɾɚ]
  • Australian: [ˈɪn.kjuːˌbeɪ.ɾə(ɹ)]
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 NG K Y AH0 B EY2 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brooder

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brooder

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A support programme for the development of entrepreneurial companies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

apparatus consisting of a box designed to maintain a constant temperature by the use of a thermostat; used for chicks or premature infants

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brooder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apparatus, setup

History

Etymology

From incubate + -or.

Across languages

Translations

103 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: incubateur — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Hungarian: inkubátor — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Ladino: klochkal — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Ladino: enkübatör — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Portuguese: incubadora — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Romanian: incubator — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Russian: инкуба́тор (inkubátor) — chemistry: apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a reaction
  • Afrikaans: broeikas — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Arabic: حَاضِنَة (ḥāḍina) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Bulgarian: кувьоз (kuvjoz) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Catalan: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Chinese Mandarin: 保育器 (bǎoyùqì) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Chinese Mandarin: 育嬰箱 /育婴箱 (yùyīngxiāng) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Chinese Mandarin: 保溫箱 /保温箱 (bǎowēnxiāng) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Czech: inkubátor — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Dutch: couveuse — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Finnish: keskoskaappi — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Finnish: inkubaattori — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • French: incubateur — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • French: couveuse — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Galician: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • German: Brutkasten — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • German: Inkubator — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Hungarian: inkubátor — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Italian: incubatrice — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Japanese: 保育器 (hoikuki) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Japanese: インキュベーター (inkyubētā) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Korean: 보육기 (boyukgi) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Korean: 인큐베이터 (inkyubeiteo) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Ladino: kuvöz — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Ladino: klochkal — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Ladino: enkübatör — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Ladino: encovadera — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Polish: inkubator — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Portuguese: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Romanian: incubator — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Russian: инкуба́тор (inkubátor) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Sotho: seqhotsisi — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Spanish: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Tagalog: limliman — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Turkish: kuvöz — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Ukrainian: інкуба́тор (inkubátor) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for a newborn baby
  • Afrikaans: broeikas — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Bulgarian: инкубатор (inkubator) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Catalan: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 孵化器 (fūhuàqì) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 孵蛋器 (fūdànqì) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Finnish: hautomakone — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • French: couveuse — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Galician: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • German: Brutkasten — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Hungarian: keltető — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Hungarian: keltetőszekrény — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Hungarian: keltetőgép — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Hungarian: tojáskeltető — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Hungarian: inkubátor — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Japanese: 孵化器 (fukaki) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Japanese: 孵卵器 (furanki) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Korean: 부화기 (buhwagi) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Korean: 부란기 (buran'gi) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Ladino: klochkal — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Latin: incubātor — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Latin: incubātrix — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Polish: inkubator — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Portuguese: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Portuguese: incubadeira — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Portuguese: chocadeira — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Romanian: incubator — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Russian: инкуба́тор (inkubátor) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Sotho: seqhotsisi — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Spanish: incubadora — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Tagalog: pamisaan — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Ukrainian: інкуба́тор (inkubátor) — apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions suitable for the hatching of eggs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恆溫器 /恒温器 (héngwēnqì) — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恆溫箱 /恒温箱 (héngwēnxiāng) — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Finnish: inkubaattori — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • French: incubateur — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • German: Inkubator — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Hungarian: inkubátor — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Hungarian: termosztát — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Hungarian: csíráztató — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Hungarian: csíráztatókamra — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Japanese: 定温器 (teionki) — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Korean: 정온기 (jeong'on'gi) — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Ladino: klochkal — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Ladino: encovadera — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Romanian: incubator — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Spanish: estufa de cultivo — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Spanish: incubadora — place to maintain the culturing of bacteria at a steady temperature
  • Bulgarian: инкубатор (inkubator) — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Catalan: incubadora — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Chinese Mandarin: 孵化器 (fūhuàqì) — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Finnish: hautomo — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • French: incubateur — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • German: Inkubator — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Hungarian: inkubátor — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Hungarian: keltető — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Italian: incubatore — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Polish: inkubator — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Spanish: incubadora — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Swedish: inkubator — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Swedish: företagskuvös — support program for entrepreneurial companies
  • Ukrainian: інкуба́тор (inkubátor) — support program for entrepreneurial companies
Real reading context

incubator in complete knowledge articles