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

Mu spent five Arctic summers in far-eastern Russia, where mating pairs each have their own territory.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Fall foliage peaks here between late September and early October; this also aligns with elk mating time in the area.

— Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of mating

Verb

Do not wear them while sleeping unless a healthcare provider advises it.

— Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026
The research team used this bank of information to compare health outcomes with the nightly tossing and turning of just under 100,000 sleeping participants.

— Mike McRae September 17, New Atlas, 17 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of copulating

noun

verb

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