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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  1. mating
  2. sleeping
  3. intercourse
  4. relations
Noun
  • Each group of lemurs (called a troop) has a core female group that dominates mating, territory, and resource distribution.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 July 2026
  • Canine transmissible venereal tumor, or CTVT, is a genital cancer that dogs pass to one another during mating.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of mating
Verb
  • The lower level also includes a separate heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, three guest suites, and a bunk suite sleeping four.
    — Joe Marusak July 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
  • Other symptoms might include difficulty sleeping and eating or maintaining personal hygiene.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Definition of sleeping
Noun
  • After intercourse, the teenager had snapped photos of her naked body on a futon as evidence.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 16 July 2026
  • The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.
    — Gwladys Fouche, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Definition of intercourse
Noun
  • Postwar intellectuals used psychoanalytic ideas in a variety of ways, including to discuss race relations and homosexuality.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Rather, the pivotal transactions, graphed like the peaks and valleys of a volatile stock index, are the relations between men and women.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of relations

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Cite this Entry

“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on copulating

Nglish: Translation of copulating for Spanish Speakers

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