as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis
our Puritan forebears imposed severe penalties for copulating outside of marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in sleeping
to engage in sexual intercourse
the time of year when deer in the wild are likely to copulate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of copulating
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
And finally, wouldn’t being near-perfectly still for an hour make a pair of copulating octopuses ridiculously exposed to predators?
—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
After copulating, the two males lay immobile on the seafloor as the female swam away.
—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
While copulating, female praying mantises often kill their mates and eat them.
—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
And finally, wouldn’t being near-perfectly still for an hour make a pair of copulating octopuses ridiculously exposed to predators?
—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
After copulating, the two males lay immobile on the seafloor as the female swam away.
—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copulating
Noun
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The findings, from 1,592 U.S. citizens of different ages, sexes, races and incomes, were collected between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22.
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On his first day in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female.
Verb
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Bed bugs typically stay within a few feet of their food source, which is usually sleeping people or pets.
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There are some other features to keep in mind when considering a sleeping pad, air mattress or camping cot.
Noun
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In any number of species—elephant seals, red deer, rattlesnakes—the privilege of mating is settled by a fight.
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Both food and mating motivate humpback journeys in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Noun
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The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.
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However, soy isoflavones didn’t appear to provide significant overall benefits for painful intercourse, hot flashes, night sweats, and psychological symptoms.
Noun
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Emily Brontë’s telling of this narrative premise was, also, far ahead of its time, unadorned, stripped bare, always in immediate reach of the brutal facts of her characters’ relations and complications with each other.
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Runcie is sharply attuned to the vast uncomfortable grey areas of gender and power relations, navigating them with wry, revelatory observations that are devastatingly acute.
Cite this Entry
“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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