hibernates

verb

present tense third-person singular of hibernate
as in sleeps
to be in an inactive state bears hibernating in their dens

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar 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 hibernates The reptile, which hibernates individually in holes, burrows or rock crevices, prefers to live along ridgelines and bluffs, especially on south and southwest facing slopes. — Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hibernates
  1. sleeps
  2. rests
  3. plays
  4. dozes
  5. idles
Verb
  • The 6,600-square-foot 5-bedroom residence sleeps 10 and is outfitted with a massive living room with 2 televisions, a pool table, and a record player.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Exclusive to the new vessel is the two-story Believe Tower Suite, which sleeps eight inside the forward funnel and draws inspiration from the Magic Kingdom.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleeps
Verb
  • The prime minister said the path to creating work for all the country’s school leavers rests on developing the private sector through investment.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The series, which comprises eight 45-minute episodes, is set in the near future, at a time when humanity’s survival rests on a new generation of elite pilots.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • Anjali Patil plays the title role and produces through her banner Anahat Films.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Parliament’s lower house dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • On some of my visits, Marsha dozes most of the time.
    — Marc Silver, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Rather, the protagonist dozes right through it.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of dozes
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles

Browse Nearby Words

hibernated
hibernates
hibernating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hibernates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hibernates. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All