as in suspension
a state of temporary inactivity
the husband's feeling that their love life was in suspended animation while his wife lavished all her attention on the new baby
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Recent Examples of suspended animation
One solution long championed by science fiction is suspended animation, or putting humans in a hibernation-like sleep for the duration of travel time.
—
CNN, 28 Dec. 2020
With the agreements with Mexico and Central American in suspended animation during the pandemic, Title 42 is necessary stopgap that Biden will come under intense pressure from pro-immigration groups to reverse.
—The Editors, National Review, 15 Nov. 2020
Four days after the election, the U.S. presidential race hovered in suspended animation Saturday as the long, exacting work of counting votes brought Democrat Joe Biden ever closer to a victory over President Donald Trump.
—Staff and Wire Reports, chicagotribune.com, 7 Nov. 2020
New York City, where nearly 24,000 people have died from COVID-19, remains in a kind of suspended animation more than six months after the disease raced across its five boroughs and crippled America's largest metropolis.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for suspended animation
CNN, 28 Dec. 2020
With the agreements with Mexico and Central American in suspended animation during the pandemic, Title 42 is necessary stopgap that Biden will come under intense pressure from pro-immigration groups to reverse.
—The Editors, National Review, 15 Nov. 2020
Four days after the election, the U.S. presidential race hovered in suspended animation Saturday as the long, exacting work of counting votes brought Democrat Joe Biden ever closer to a victory over President Donald Trump.
—Staff and Wire Reports, chicagotribune.com, 7 Nov. 2020
New York City, where nearly 24,000 people have died from COVID-19, remains in a kind of suspended animation more than six months after the disease raced across its five boroughs and crippled America's largest metropolis.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for suspended animation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspended animation
Noun
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Despite challenges, including a PED suspension that forced him to miss the entire 2021 season while with the Mets, Canó’s passion for the game remains undiminished.—
Denny Alfonso,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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The president's retaliative criticism, and subsequent reaction from corporations, have led to a wave of backlash from notable figures in Hollywood, who warn how Kimmel's suspension and the cancellation ofThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert are signs of an attack on free speech.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Blending dark comedy, drama, and suspense, His Weakest Creatures is billed as a sharp allegory of love, survival, and moral compromise, culminating in an unexpected finale.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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Liam Hemsworth picks up the White Wolf's blades on season 4 of the Netflix series that also stars Laurence Fishburne, and the suspense is killing us — not like a basilisk, but maybe a drowner.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suspended animation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspended%20animation. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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