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

There were no bedrooms, just sleeping alcoves set into the walls.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026
But the sight of a man sleeping atop the shelter next to a shopping cart caught the attention of onlookers, some of whom pulled out their phones to take pictures, as first reported by KTLA.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of sleeping

Noun

China-Japan relations have come under heavy strain since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament in November last year that Japan could get militarily involved in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

— Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
Questions remain over how a citizen of Oman, a country which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, was authorized to co-pilot a plane bound for Tel Aviv, despite Israel’s strict security regulations.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of relations

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“Copulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulating. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of copulating

noun

verb

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