1
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
2
: a state of mental or physical sluggishness : torpor
plural comae
ˈkō-ˌmē 
-ˌmī
1
: a tufted bunch (as of branches, bracts, or seed hairs)
2
: the head of a comet consisting of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
3
: an optical aberration in which the image of a point source is a comet-shaped blur
Examples of coma in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 26 June 2025
Following the initial outbreak of the rage virus, 28 Days Later opens with an overhead shot of bicycle messenger Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up from a coma, naked in a hospital bed.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The real Cooper, freshly awakened from a coma induced by sticking a fork in an electrical socket, his long-absent memory restored, arrives shortly thereafter, thence to be transported back in time to the night of the murder of Laura Palmer, which brought him to Twin Peaks so many years ago.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
In the 28 Days‘ defining moment, Cillian Murphy’s Jim wakes up from a coma to wander a deserted London.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for coma
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Noun
His donor was 47 years old Immediately after the accident, Joe was in a three-month coma.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 26 June 2025
Following the initial outbreak of the rage virus, 28 Days Later opens with an overhead shot of bicycle messenger Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up from a coma, naked in a hospital bed.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The real Cooper, freshly awakened from a coma induced by sticking a fork in an electrical socket, his long-absent memory restored, arrives shortly thereafter, thence to be transported back in time to the night of the murder of Laura Palmer, which brought him to Twin Peaks so many years ago.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
In the 28 Days‘ defining moment, Cillian Murphy’s Jim wakes up from a coma to wander a deserted London.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for coma
Cite this Entry
“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coma
1 of 2 noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a sleeplike state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
coma
2 of 2 noun
plural comae
-ˌmē
-ˌmī
: the head of a comet made up of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
Etymology
Noun
scientific Latin, from Greek kōma "deep sleep"
Noun
from Latin coma "hair," from Greek komē "hair" — related to comet
Medical Definition
coma
noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
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