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
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
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
-
The findings, from 1,592 U.S. citizens of different ages, sexes, races and incomes, were collected between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
28 Dec. 2025
-
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.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Typical orthopedic shoulder pain usually occurs after an injury, overuse, sleeping awkwardly, lifting something heavy or repetitive motion, according to the doctor.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
One of these rooms was used for sleeping and contained a niche where a lamp was placed, as reported by Heritage Daily.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Even amputated mating arms behaved the same way, responding to progesterone but not to other molecules.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Are octopuses selective in their mating?—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wilzig told the Miami Herald in a 2002 profile that intercourse and naked bodies were beautiful and natural, and no one should be embarrassed by talking about the topic.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
With Tim, Martha hadn’t often come during intercourse.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For families Little children are catered to with cots, high chairs, roll-away beds, family swimming time in the pool, and the guest relations team offers movie nights for children in the room, soft toys, games and baby-sitting.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Enjoy relations with friends, groups, partners, siblings and neighbors.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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