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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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

Males perform complex mating flights in the late summer months and into fall (August through October) which often involve intercepting prospective partners mid-air.

— Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
They’re commonly found mating, attached end-to-end while resting or even flying.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of mating

Verb

The rise of sleep divorce Couples sleeping apart, sometimes called sleep divorce, is more common than many people realize.

— Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Immigrants held in the garage have been shackled while sleeping, the summary of whistleblower allegations continued.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of sleeping

Noun

At the core of South Africa’s push to reset its ties with the US while maintaining strong relations with China are mines like the giant Mogalakwena site, 150 miles north of Johannesburg and operated by Valterra Platinum.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Iran’s ambassador to Russia also said in February 2025 that Tehran and Moscow no longer needed SWIFT for bilateral banking relations and were using their own confidential bank-messaging systems.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of relations

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

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Synonyms of copulating

noun

verb

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