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
  • Like a guardian of the absolute desert, Chile’s coastal mountain range sleeps a mineral slumber, the bluffs defending the driest desert in the world.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Police later arrested Ross Wardlaw, a 41-year-old homeless man who frequently sleeps along the Greenbelt, in connection to the crime.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2026
Definition of sleeps
Verb
  • The seat-block option comes four months after United unveiled a new Relax Row option, a row of three economy seats with individually adjustable leg rests that fold up at a 90-degree angle to create a lie-flat sleeping area.
    — Mason Leib, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • The desert — churned, sucked and acid-washed — rests in these graveyards of the Anthropocene.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • In the example below, Stephen Eustaquio plays it short, with Canada set up to attack the six-yard box with two runners.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • France faces Spain in the Dallas semifinal Tuesday, and Argentina plays England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 14 July 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 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hibernates

Nglish: Translation of hibernates for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All