copulate

verb

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cop·u·late | \ ˈkä-pyə-ˌlāt

copulated; copulating

Definition of copulate

intransitive verb

: to engage in sexual intercourse

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Other Words from copulate

copulation \ ˌkä-pyə-ˈlā-shən

\ noun

copulatory \ ˈkä-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē

\ adjective

Synonyms for copulate

Synonyms

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 As a couple, we were finished, though still copulating. — Matthew Klam, The New Yorker, "The Liver," 9 Mar. 2020 These include someone washing a cucumber, copulating wind-up toy rabbits, a phallic fungus, a beaver, the Washington Monument, the pop of a champagne cork, and the sensuous blossoming of a flower. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "The 2010s were a veritable golden age of opening credits in television," 30 Dec. 2019 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

These 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.