as in to sleep
to be in an inactive state
bears hibernating in their dens
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Recent Examples of hibernate
Each year, beginning in spring when grizzlies awake from months spent hibernating, between 30 to 40 people — in Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, a small portion of Washington and British Columbia — are attacked, and two to three people are killed, after coming into contact with these animals.
—
Johnny Dodd, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Another theory suggests that extreme winter weather may have caused their deaths while hibernating, as frogs burrow into the mud but can succumb to particularly harsh freezes.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Trees shed leaves in fall, animals hibernate in winter, flowers bloom in spring, and everything basks in the heat of summer.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Thankfully, Gallagher doesn't mind Oprah hibernating in her pillow fortress and is happy to let her snooze there for hours.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hibernate
Johnny Dodd, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Another theory suggests that extreme winter weather may have caused their deaths while hibernating, as frogs burrow into the mud but can succumb to particularly harsh freezes.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Trees shed leaves in fall, animals hibernate in winter, flowers bloom in spring, and everything basks in the heat of summer.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Thankfully, Gallagher doesn't mind Oprah hibernating in her pillow fortress and is happy to let her snooze there for hours.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hibernate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hibernate
Verb
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One 2024 meta-analysis, for example, found that all manner of sensory experiences—including sounds, smells, flashing lights, physical pressure, and pain—can be incorporated into dreams when people are sleeping and investigators provide the stimulus.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Make as much noise as possible to try and keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from sleeping and force them elsewhere.—
Victoria Valenzuela,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The deli restaurant and its nearby Scoop Deck, a place people went for ice cream, have been go-to destinations for people refueling after a jaunt around the harbor, to meet friends, hold business meetings or a place to chill.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
28 June 2025
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This pasta salad makes full use of summer produce and is best served chilled.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
Verb
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The courthouse in Alpine is lined with fixtures that mitigates light pollution, murals off that city's main thoroughfare depict wildlife resting in the comfort of a dark sky.—
Carlos Morales,
NPR,
1 July 2025
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Two crates full of Sam’s Club water bottles resting in ice baths sit beneath them.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Patio mats can also make the pool more comfortable for lounging, and create a soft base for toddlers or small children to play on.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 June 2025
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While the building is meant as a nod to the land’s agricultural roots, this one is for play rather than work: It’s set up for lounging and dining inside, with a wet bar for mixing up drinks and an outdoor fire pit perfect for making s’mores.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Students were required to undertake certain extracurricular activities (Prevost was in the choir with Franks—both sing tenor—and played tennis) and to keep up their academic performance, but mostly the school’s focus was how to live in community.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Pitcher of the Year: Taylor McKean, Aledo Aledo senior Taylor McKean, a Tarleton Softball pledge, was one of the best pitchers in Dallas-Fort Worth and played a pivotal role in another strong season for the Bearcats.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Patrick Seymour, dozing in a Newcastle home, awoke to flames crawling up the outside walls.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
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Through the night, several of them allegedly followed the southbound Brink’s truck, which was piloted by one driver while another dozed in the vehicle’s sleeping compartment.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hibernate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hibernate. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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