as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis
female pandas are receptive to copulation for a short time once a year
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of copulation
Aguilar has been in jail the entire time, and has now been sentenced to 18 years for human trafficking, rape and forcible oral copulation.
—
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Duran was arrested and booked into jail on charges of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 18, deputies said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Duran was arrested and booked into jail on charges of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 18, deputies said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copulation
Noun
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The State Department suspended processing applications from Americans seeking to update their passports with a new gender marker in January, shortly after President Trump signed an executive order proclaiming the U.S. recognizes only two unchangeable sexes, male and female.—
Brooke Migdon,
The Hill,
5 Sep. 2025
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January saying that the federal government will only recognize two sexes: male and female.—
Sonam Sheth
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There are alignments of anemia with some of the early modern symptoms of green sickness—though very few people today are likely to think anemia is caused by a blockage of bodily humors curable by intercourse.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Sep. 2025
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One 2024 survey found that about 60 percent of college students reported having had vaginal intercourse; a 2022 Pew Research survey reported that more than half of all adults under 30 were in a relationship at the time.—
Molly Langmuir,
The Atlantic,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Oh, and the elk, which are busy sparring and bugling as part of their annual mating ritual.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
26 Sep. 2025
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Blue jay and green jay spottings in Texas The researchers attribute changes in weather patterns to the mating of the different birds.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After battling Bukele in public and her own embassy in private, Manes announced a pause in diplomatic relations and left El Salvador in late 2021.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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In a further sign of growing Sino-Nigerian relations, Abuja is considering certifying China’s C919 commercial jet for use, Bloomberg reported.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Copulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulation. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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