# incubation

/ˌɪŋkjuˈbeɪʃən/ (US) · /ˌɪnkjuːbˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/incubation
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. hatching eggs

noun · CEFR B2

the process of keeping eggs warm so that the young birds inside can grow and hatch.

For teachers: the act of brooding or keeping eggs at a suitable temperature to promote embryonic development.

- The mother bird rarely left the nest during the long period of incubation.
- Artificial incubation allows farmers to hatch large numbers of chicks simultaneously by maintaining precise humidity and temperature levels within the machine.

### 2. disease development

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the time between catching a virus or bacteria and when you actually start to feel sick.

For teachers: the period between exposure to a pathogenic organism and the first appearance of symptoms.

- The virus has an incubation period of up to two weeks before symptoms appear.
- Epidemiologists tracked the incubation timeline to determine when the patient had first been exposed to the infectious agent.

### 3. creative process

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

a stage where you stop thinking about a problem and let your brain work on it quietly in the background.

For teachers: a stage in the creative process where the unconscious mind reorganises information after conscious effort has ceased.

- After hours of frustration, a night of incubation helped him find the solution.
- The researcher argued that the incubation phase is vital for innovation, as it allows the brain to form non-obvious connections between disparate ideas.

### 4. business/science growth

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the process of helping a new business or a scientific culture grow in a controlled environment.

For teachers: the maintenance of controlled environmental conditions for the growth of cell cultures or the early-stage development of startup companies.

- The laboratory uses a special chamber for the incubation of bacteria samples.
- The university's business incubation programme provides office space and mentoring to help tech startups survive their first year of operation.

## Examples

- The eggs need a long period of incubation before they hatch.
- The laboratory technician placed the samples in the warm chamber for a forty-eight-hour incubation period to check for bacterial growth.
- In the creative process, a period of incubation often follows intense research, allowing the subconscious mind to synthesize disparate ideas into a coherent solution while the individual is focused on other tasks.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.