hibernate

verb hi·ber·nate \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of hibernate

hibernated; hibernating

intransitive verb

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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hibernation

play \ˌhī-bər-ˈnā-shən\ noun

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hibernator

play \ˈhī-bər-ˌnā-tər\ noun

See hibernate defined for English-language learners

See hibernate defined for kids

Examples of hibernate in a Sentence

bears hibernating in their dens

Recent Examples of hibernate from the Web

Prior to the ice park’s official opening in 1997, the historic mining town, population 1,000, hibernated through winter.

— hayden carpenter, Outside Online, "On Thin Ice in Ouray," 24 Apr. 2018
This is one of seven species of bats found in Lake County and the only one that hibernates here.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Five cool bat facts," 23 Apr. 2018
Stephen Miller was settling in to hibernate through the sunny season.

— michael andor brodeur, BostonGlobe.com, "The looming cloud of ‘deepfake’ videos, and the silver lining," 19 Apr. 2018
The little brown bat is the only one that remains in winter, hibernating upside down underneath the bark of shagbark hickory and other trees, as well as sometimes in people’s attics, Goyette said.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Lake County bat monitoring program hopes to prevent fungus killing critical mammal," 23 Apr. 2018
For another, Ramke’s zombies seek dark places to hibernate, which often includes literally burying their heads in the dirt to shut out the light.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Netflix’s Cargo has a few new ideas for the zombie genre," 21 Apr. 2018
Young humans, however, sometimes prefer hibernating.

— laurel graeber, New York Times, "Opening Young Minds With the Arts When Schools Are Closed," 28 Mar. 2018
Kilpatrick and his colleagues have researched the effect of different amounts of P. destructans on hibernating bats.

— National Geographic, "Notorious Bat Killer Found to Have a Weak Link," 3 Jan. 2018
Winter is a great time to spot animals (except bear, which are hibernating).

— alex postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Jackson Hole Is the Perfect Ski Town," 21 Mar. 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of hibernate

Latin hibernatus, past participle of hibernare to pass the winter, from hibernus of winter; akin to Latin hiems winter, Greek cheimōn

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1816

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

HIBERNATE Defined for English Language Learners

hibernate

verb

Definition of hibernate for English Language Learners

of an animal : to spend the winter sleeping or resting

HIBERNATE Defined for Kids

hibernate

verb hi·ber·nate \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt \

Definition of hibernate for Students

hibernated; hibernating

: to pass all or part of the winter in an inactive state in which the body temperature drops and breathing slows

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hibernator

\-ˌnāt-ər\ noun

Medical Dictionary

hibernate

intransitive verb hi·ber·nate \ ˈhī-bər-ˌnāt \

medical Definition of hibernate

hibernated; hibernating

: 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

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