copulate
verb
cop·u·late
| \ ˈkä-pyə-ˌlāt
\
\
copulated;
copulating
Definition of copulate
: to engage in sexual intercourse
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Other Words from copulate
copulation
\ ˌkä-pyə-ˈlā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
copulatory
\ ˈkä-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of copulate in a Sentence
Some animals have complex mating rituals before they copulate.
the time of year when deer in the wild are likely to copulate
Recent Examples on the Web
The notorious sculpture depicts Pan, rustic god of the wild, copulating with a she-goat. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Review: Getty Villa’s ‘Buried by Vesuvius’ is exquisite and, at times, explicit," 3 July 2019 Males will try to copulate not only with females, but also other males. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Fungus Causes Cicadas to Mate Like Crazy, Even After Their Butts Fall Off," 29 June 2019 A few weeks ago the pair, named Monty and Rose, began copulating, said Giometti. — Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, "Beachside fest Mamby’s move to Montrose creating waves between birders, boaters, neighbors and music fans," 14 June 2019 Even with the copulating couple caught on camera, the attention is all on the child's response to the spectacle. — Marlisse Cepeda, Woman's Day, "Little Girl Has Adorable Reaction to Two Turtles Mating," 26 Jan. 2015 In New York, detectives have turned their attention to a student-actress' accusation she was forced to orally copulate the producer in 2004 and another actress' allegation of rape in 2010. — Richard Winton, latimes.com, "Fate of Harvey Weinstein sexual assault cases now in hands of two cautious prosecutors," 20 Mar. 2018 Danish challengers, asked to make a dessert fit for a bachelor party, offered buttercream buttocks and fondant figures copulating under the covers. — The Economist, "How “Bake Off” went global," 31 Aug. 2017 In two reported cases, females feasted on birds while copulating with males. — Natalie Angier, New York Times, "Birds Beware: The Praying Mantis Wants Your Brain," 22 Sep. 2017 James also disapproves when Gina begins dressing more provocatively, dyeing her straw-colored hair light blond and, during a visit to Barcelona to see her sister (Ahna O’Reilly), watching a peep show featuring a couple copulating in animal masks. — Michael O’sullivan, idahostatesman, "‘All I See Is You’: A thriller with more marital melodrama than mystery," 26 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'copulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for copulate
copulate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of copulate
formal
: to have sexual intercourse
See the full definition for copulate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
copulate
intransitive verb
cop·u·late
| \ ˈkäp-yə-ˌlāt
\
\
copulated;
copulating
Medical Definition of copulate
1
: to engage in sexual intercourse
Other Words from copulate
copulation
\ ˌkäp-yə-ˈlā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
copulatory
\ ˈkäp-yə-lə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr-
\
adjective
\
adjective
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