1
seeds/plants germinate
不及物用法，表示植物本身开始生长。
The seeds germinate in warm soil.
种子在温暖的土壤中发芽。
发芽；萌芽；开始发育
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
发芽；萌芽；开始发育
to start to grow and put out shoots
The seeds germinate in warm soil.
种子在温暖的土壤中发芽。
种子开始生长,发芽出根和叶子。
Of a seed, to begin to grow, to sprout roots and leaves.
使生长；产生。
To cause to grow; to produce.
germinate
Base
原形
germinates
3rd person
第三人称单数
germinating
-ing
现在分词
germinated
Past
过去式
germinated
Past participle
过去分词
Seeds germinate in spring.
种子在春天发芽。
The seeds germinated quickly.
种子很快发芽了。
The seeds are germinating now.
种子正在发芽。
The seeds have germinated.
种子已经发芽了。
发芽；萌芽
If the soil stays too dry, the bean seeds will not germinate.
如果土壤太干，豆种就不会发芽。
The first seeds germinated in the greenhouse last week.
第一批种子上周在温室里发芽了。
In this tray, the lettuce seeds are germinating under the light.
在这个托盘里，生菜种子正在光照下发芽。
不及物用法，表示植物本身开始生长。
The seeds germinate in warm soil.
种子在温暖的土壤中发芽。
及物用法，主语是种植者。
We germinated the beans indoors.
我们在室内使豆子发芽。
比喻用法，指想法或计划开始形成。
A new plan germinated in her mind.
一个新计划在她脑海中萌芽。
Not this
The seeds were germinated by the rain.
Use this
The seeds germinated in the rain.
germinate 作不及物动词时表示“发芽”，主语直接发出动作，不应使用被动语态；表示条件时用介词 in。
Not this
The farmer germinated.
Use this
The farmer germinated the seeds.
germinate 作及物动词时需接宾语，表示“使……发芽”；缺少宾语会导致句子不完整。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
种子发芽
These seeds germinate in about two weeks.
这些种子大约两周后发芽。
在土壤中发芽
The beans germinate in the soil within a few days.
豆子在土壤中几天内就发芽了。
迅速发芽
Grass seeds germinate quickly when watered regularly.
草籽在定期浇水时会迅速发芽。
发芽的种子
The farmer checked the germinating seeds every morning.
那位农夫每天早上检查发芽的种子。
使种子发芽
Warmth and moisture cause seeds to germinate.
温暖和水分使种子发芽。
Use germinate naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
把 germinate 拆成 germ（胚芽）开头，看到 germ 就想到种子里的胚芽，胚芽开始生长＝发芽。
语域：formal 常见场景：botany/agriculture、formal writing、figurative language about ideas germinate 是比较正式、书面化的动词，字面指种子发芽，也常用于比喻想法等开始形成。日常口语中更常说 sprout 或 start to grow；正式写作、科技或文学语境中更常见。
germinate（/ˈdʒɜːmɪneɪt/）与 terminate（/ˈtɜːmɪneɪt/）押韵，重音元音和尾部读音 /mɪneɪt/ 相同。其余词都以 -inate 结尾，读作 /ɪneɪt/，但重音元音不同，不是严格押韵。注意拼写相似的 germane（/dʒɜːˈmeɪn/）读音完全不同。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.