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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Noun

Crickets and cockroaches have much smaller cerci used to sense vibrations in the air, but Stokes explained that earwigs use their cerci for defense, hunting, mating and courtship.

— Hannah Smith July 22, Idaho Statesman, 22 July 2026
Game of thrones The team started by taking mating pairs out of a colony away from any queen.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026

Definition of mating

Verb

Scientists describe these differences as chronotypes, our natural preference for sleeping and being alert at particular times of day.

— Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Silva experienced homelessness, too, often sleeping under the cover of a gazebo at the Riverbank Community Center.

— Trevor Morgan, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of sleeping

Noun

Both countries also opened a second cluster last week focused on foreign relations, security and defense policies, as well as trade policy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
The move underscores the increasingly important role AI chips play in diplomatic relations and international politics.

— Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of relations

Browse Nearby Words

copulates

copulating

copulation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of copulating

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on copulating

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aerie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes