hibernate
verb
hi·ber·nate
| \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt
\
\
hibernated;
hibernating
Definition of hibernate
1
: to pass the winter in a torpid or resting state
bears hibernating in their dens
2
: to be or become inactive or dormant
let the computer hibernate
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Other Words from hibernate
hibernation
\ ˌhī-bər-ˈnā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
hibernator
\ ˈhī-bər-ˌnā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of hibernate in a Sentence
bears hibernating in their dens
Recent Examples on the Web
The young are born with fangs and venom and may even feed before hibernating for the winter. — National Geographic, "Copperheads," 22 July 2019 This type of tissue was thought, in the past, to only exist in hibernating mammals and babies, the university said. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Coffee could help you burn fat, new study says," 24 June 2019 The rest of the Cavaliers, in kind, hibernated on their laurels. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "How David Griffin Rebuilt the Pelicans and His World," 1 Aug. 2019 Big Bear Lake used to hibernate when the snow melted, but not anymore. — Roy M. Wallack, Los Angeles Times, "Big Bear’s big outdoors appeal," 18 July 2019 During that portion of the year when there are no insects to eat, bats must hibernate to survive — and this has allowed the deadly fungus to flourish. — Louis Sahagun, latimes.com, "A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it’s in California," 5 July 2019 But eastern fox snakes have adapted to winter in the region by hibernating. — Frank Vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Large snake resists arrest as Park Forest police chief extracts it from under hood of squad car," 7 June 2019 Like many hibernating insects, overwintering mosquitoes depend on supercooling, a process by which an animal has the ability to rid its body fluids of impurities that would trigger the formation of ice. — Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Only female mosquitoes bother us (and other facts about the insects Alaskans love to hate)," 7 July 2018 Of course the zoo has bears, but those bears are hibernating. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee zoo's polar bear will usher in spring and family activities at Groundhog Day event," 26 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hibernate.' 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 hibernate
hibernate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of hibernate
of an animal
: to spend the winter sleeping or resting
See the full definition for hibernate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hibernate
verb
hi·ber·nate
| \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt
\
\
hibernated;
hibernating
Kids Definition of hibernate
: to pass all or part of the winter in an inactive state in which the body temperature drops and breathing slows
hibernate
intransitive verb
hi·ber·nate
| \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt
\
\
hibernated;
hibernating
Medical Definition of hibernate
: to pass the winter in a torpid or resting state
especially
: to pass the winter in a torpid condition in which the body temperature drops to a little above freezing and metabolic activity is reduced nearly to zero — compare estivate
Other Words from hibernate
hibernation
\ ˌhī-bər-ˈnā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
hibernator
\ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt-ər
\
noun
\
noun
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