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
Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The Mayo Clinic says potential side effects may include: weight loss, dry mouth, chills, nausea, vomiting, constipation, changes in urine, liver damage, muscle pain, dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations, depression, delusion, seizures and coma.
—Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
High levels of lead exposure can cause severe brain and central nervous system damage, leading to intellectual disabilities, behavioral disorders, coma, convulsions and death, according to the World Health Organization.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
As the comet approaches the sun, the ice begins to turn to gas that can burst out of the comet in a cloud of dust that creates a huge, fuzzy cloud around the nucleus called the coma.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
In an image posted to NASA’s astronomy picture of the day page, Comet Pons-Brooks appears to have a light blue tail, a green outer coma, and a spiral of red glowing gas surrounding the coma.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2024
The shape of 12/P Pons-Brooks' coma has created the appearance of horns for on-the-ground observers.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
Symptoms of drinking too much water Similar to heat exhaustion, symptoms of hyponatremia can include nausea, headache, fatigue, muscle weakness or cramps and in extreme cases seizures or coma.
—Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
By the next morning, six people were dead, including three students, and another was left in a coma.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Nadeau would spend three weeks in a coma and doctors gave him only a 6% chance of surviving.
—Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The Mayo Clinic says potential side effects may include: weight loss, dry mouth, chills, nausea, vomiting, constipation, changes in urine, liver damage, muscle pain, dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations, depression, delusion, seizures and coma.
—Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
High levels of lead exposure can cause severe brain and central nervous system damage, leading to intellectual disabilities, behavioral disorders, coma, convulsions and death, according to the World Health Organization.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
As the comet approaches the sun, the ice begins to turn to gas that can burst out of the comet in a cloud of dust that creates a huge, fuzzy cloud around the nucleus called the coma.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
In an image posted to NASA’s astronomy picture of the day page, Comet Pons-Brooks appears to have a light blue tail, a green outer coma, and a spiral of red glowing gas surrounding the coma.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2024
The shape of 12/P Pons-Brooks' coma has created the appearance of horns for on-the-ground observers.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
Symptoms of drinking too much water Similar to heat exhaustion, symptoms of hyponatremia can include nausea, headache, fatigue, muscle weakness or cramps and in extreme cases seizures or coma.
—Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
By the next morning, six people were dead, including three students, and another was left in a coma.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near coma
Cite this Entry
“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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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