Definition of 'cultivate'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense cultivates
, present participle cultivating
, past tense, past participle cultivated
1. verb
If you cultivate land or crops, you prepare land and grow crops on it.
2. verb
3. verb
If you cultivate someone or cultivate a friendship with them, you try hard to develop a friendship with them.
The President has carefully cultivated relationships with at least five influential
ministers. [VERB noun]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
cultivate
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
cultivate in British English
verb (transitive)
3.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C17: from Medieval Latin cultivāre to till, from Old French cultiver, from Medieval Latin cultīvus cultivable, from Latin cultus cultivated, from colere to till, toil over
Word Frequency
cultivate in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈcultiˌvated or ˈcultiˌvating
1.
to prepare and use (soil or land) for growing crops; till
2.
4.
to improve or develop (plants) by various horticultural techniques
7.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
cultivate in American English
(ˈkʌltəˌveit)
transitive verbWord forms: -vated, -vating
1.
to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till
2.
to use a cultivator on
3.
to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention
4.
to produce by culture
to cultivate a strain of bacteria
5.
to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine
to cultivate a singing voice
7.
to devote oneself to (an art, science, etc.)
8.
to seek to promote or foster (friendship, love, etc.)
9.
to seek the acquaintance or friendship of (a person)
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1610–20; ‹ ML cultīvātus (ptp. of cultīvāre to till), equiv. to cultīv(us) (L cult(us), ptp. of colere to care for, till (cf. cult) + -īvus -ive) + -ātus -ate1]Examples of 'cultivate' in a sentence
cultivate
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In other languages
cultivate
British English: cultivate
VERB /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/
If you cultivate land or crops, you prepare land and grow crops on it.
She also cultivated a small garden of her own.
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cultivate
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cultivate
Source
Definition of cultivate from the Collins English Dictionary
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