diapause
noun
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Diapause, from the Greek word diapausis, meaning "pause," may have been coined by the entomologist William Wheeler in 1893. Wheeler's focus was insects, but diapause, a spontaneous period of suspended animation that seems to happen in response to adverse environmental conditions, also occurs in the development of crustaceans, snails, and other animals. Exercising poetic license, novelist Joyce Carol Oates even gave the word a human application in her short story "Visitation Rights" (1988): "Her life, seemingly in shambles, ... was not ruined; ... injured perhaps, and surely stunted, but only temporarily. There had been a diapause, and that was all...."
Examples of diapause in a Sentence
Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 19 Apr. 2026
These invasive pests come indoors in the fall looking for a cool, dry place to survive the winter in a state of inactivity called diapause.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
While many adult mosquitoes die, some survive by entering a dormant state known as diapause.
—Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 2 Feb. 2026
Photo by Marta Fernandez / Getty Images The results were striking: wasps that had undergone diapause lived more than a third longer as adults.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
To put this to the test, the researchers used an environmental cue – exposing the mothers to cold and darkness – to trigger diapause in her offspring, which was maintained for three months.
—New Atlas, 30 July 2025
The Antarctic midge, the continent’s sole native insect, was found to be the only organism to undergo both quiescence and obligate diapause.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
During the winter, insects go into a hibernation known as diapause, migrate or take up shelter underground, under rocks or in leaf litter.
—Courtney McGinnis, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
Surviving Extreme Conditions No other insect is known to switch between quiescence and obligate diapause.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diapause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diapause. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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diapause
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diapause
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