Thesaurus results for COPULATING

copulating 1 of 2

noun

as in sex

sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis our Puritan forebears imposed severe penalties for copulating outside of marriage

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copulating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of copulate

as in sleeping

to engage in sexual intercourse the time of year when deer in the wild are likely to copulate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of copulating

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

That includes mating—most of the world’s population carries Neanderthal DNA to this day.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 6 July 2026
The females and males that develop from the pupae end up mating, which leaves the males and females in the wild to continue mating and laying eggs.

— Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026

Definition of mating

Verb

The new model maintains Airstream’s convertible front dinette to create a flexible space for dining, relaxing, or even sleeping for an extra single traveler.

— Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
As of January, when the Homeless Trust last tallied the county’s homeless population, 605 people were found sleeping on Miami’s streets — just over half of the county’s entire unsheltered population.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

Definition of sleeping

Noun

The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.

— Gwladys Fouche, USA Today, 15 June 2026
However, soy isoflavones didn’t appear to provide significant overall benefits for painful intercourse, hot flashes, night sweats, and psychological symptoms.

— Sarah Garone, Health, 22 May 2026

Definition of intercourse

Noun

Strategic thinking, understanding situations, client relations and accountability cannot be transferred to an algorithm.

— Tyler Dykstra, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
The former congresswoman expressed interest in starting a new political party after her public split from the Republican Party over the handling of the Epstein files and relations with Israel.

— Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026

Definition of relations

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“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of copulating

noun

verb

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