hatching

verb

Definition of hatchingnext
present participle of hatch
as in spawning
to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the mallards and geese have begun hatching in their nests down by the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hatching Consistently hand-picking eggs and squash bugs is the best way to interrupt the squash bug life cycle and prevent new eggs from hatching. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 20 July 2026 After hatching, the baby, which is the size of a jellybean, remains in the pouch for about two months. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Microscopic modifications to bones capture traces of ancient scavenging, and tiny signatures deep inside baby dinosaur bones indicate the moment of hatching. — Kristi Curry Rogers, The Conversation, 14 July 2026 These small reptiles typically emerge from underground nests and make their way towards a suitable habitat after hatching. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026 These unique sharks, found only in Australia and New Guinea, exhibit extremely limited mobility, with offspring hatching near their parents. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 What’s more, the individual had an abdominal yolk, a portion of the egg’s yolk sac that an embryo internalizes into its body cavity just before hatching to use as an energy reserve. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026 Male seahorses are known for carrying, feeding and hatching eggs directly from a pouch on their body. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 21 June 2026 Over the course of a few weeks, these treatments should be applied repeatedly to prevent any new eggs from hatching after the initial cleaning. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hatching
  1. spawning
  2. sitting
  3. laying
Verb
  • Fish in his regular local lake were spawning in their thousands, providing plenty of action.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • And just as mobile phone use evolved in Africa in different ways from other parts of the world, spawning earlier and more prolific adoption of digital payments, AI use and deployment will differ.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of spawning
Verb
  • Take turns with your husband sitting with the baby in the safe space, or even hire a (healthy) sitter to stay in the room with your son.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Nolan’s The Odyssey is close to crossing the $1 billion mark in the global box office, sitting at $911 million after three weekends.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of sitting
Verb
  • That one feature has taken Volkwine’s crew more than five months of moving dirt, laying rebar and concrete and hand-shaping every line in the smooth surface that untold numbers of skaters and bikers will use starting this fall.
    — Noah Daly July 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 July 2026
  • Jon asks, suggesting a name and/or laying the groundwork for his priest father to come and bless the child.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 July 2026
Definition of laying

Browse Nearby Words

hatchet men
hatching
hatchway
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Cite this Entry

“Hatching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hatching. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hatching

Nglish: Translation of hatching for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hatching

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