What does "cross-pollinate" mean?

To fertilize by the transfer of pollen from an anther of one plant to the stigma of another.

What is a synonym for "cross-pollinate"?

Common synonyms include: fecundate, fertilize, fructify, impregnate, inseminate, pollenate.

verb

verb ·4 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To fertilize by the transfer of pollen from an anther of one plant to the stigma of another. transitive
2
fertilize by transferring pollen wordnet
3
To inspire, stimulate, or influence between diverse elements. figuratively, transitive

"Opponents say genetically engineered crops can cross-pollinate and damage other crops."

From cross- + pollinate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.