ovu·late
ˈä-vyə-ˌlāt 
ˈō-
ˈō-
ovulated; ovulating; ovulates
: to release a mature ovum during ovulation : to discharge an egg cell from an ovary
… women don't necessarily have textbook cycles—they may ovulate on day 8 in a short cycle, for example, or on day 20 in a long one—so predicting fertility can be a lottery.—
Judith N. Schwartz
Judith N. SchwartzThe twins came from a single embryo, as normally results when a mare ovulates and is bred.—The Chronicle of the Horse
The Chronicle of the HorseLarge male canines usually function in inter-male competition for ovulating females …—David D. Arter
David D. ArterTo initiate embryo transfer a female animal is given a fertility drug that causes her to ovulate several eggs at one time.—Noel Vietmeyer
Noel VietmeyerA woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which gradually get ovulated or die off as she ages.—Claudia Kalb
Claudia Kalb
ovu·late
ˈä-vyə-ˌlāt
ˈō-
ˈō-
-lət
botany
: bearing an ovule (see ovule sense 1)
ovulate pine cones
Examples of ovulate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
To be sure those eggs don’t fully ovulate (and pop out of your ovaries) before your doctor can retrieve them, your surgery will usually be scheduled for just about 35 to 36 hours after your trigger shot—so your eggs are completely mature but also still easily accessible.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 4 Oct. 2024
In some cases, a woman doesn’t make enough of the hormones needed to ovulate.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024
The clinic also offers natural-cycle IVF, which uses the single egg that a woman ovulates each month for fertilization and transfer.
—Sushma Subramanian, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ovulate 
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.
Verb
This is very common in adolescents who are just starting to ovulate and menstruate.
—Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
To be sure those eggs don’t fully ovulate (and pop out of your ovaries) before your doctor can retrieve them, your surgery will usually be scheduled for just about 35 to 36 hours after your trigger shot—so your eggs are completely mature but also still easily accessible.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 4 Oct. 2024
In some cases, a woman doesn’t make enough of the hormones needed to ovulate.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024
The clinic also offers natural-cycle IVF, which uses the single egg that a woman ovulates each month for fertilization and transfer.
—Sushma Subramanian, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ovulate
Dictionary Entries Near ovulate
Cite this Entry
“Ovulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ovulate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ovulate
verb
ovu·late
ˈäv-yə-ˌlāt
ˈōv-
ˈōv-
ovulated; ovulating
: to produce eggs or release them from an ovary
ovulation
noun
ˌäv-yə-ˈlā-shən
ˌōv-
Medical Definition
ovulate
verb
ovu·late
ˈäv-yə-ˌlāt
also
ˈōv-
ovulated; ovulating; ovulates
: to release a mature ovum during ovulation : to discharge an egg cell from an ovary
Some women ovulate regularly but fail to conceive after more than a year of unprotected intercourse and so are considered to be subfertile.—Edward Hughes et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Edward Hughes et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic ReviewsIn this way, the dominant follicle signals its readiness to ovulate through the ability to produce large amounts of estrogen.—Diane M. Duffy et al., Endocrine Reviews
Diane M. Duffy et al., Endocrine ReviewsOlder women are more likely to ovulate eggs that are aneuploid.—Julie A. Merriman et al., Biology of Reproduction
Julie A. Merriman et al., Biology of ReproductionWhen implantation of a conceptus does not occur in ovulating women, the corpus luteum involutes, and the concentrations of circulating estrogen and progesterone decline.—Bryan D. Cowan et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
Bryan D. Cowan et al., The New England Journal of MedicineLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share