dormancy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dormancy
Explanation
A period of inactivity, with no moving or growing, is dormancy. A bear is in a stage of dormancy when it hibernates: both its heart rate and body temperature become very low and it doesn't do much besides sleep. You can describe any state of deep sleep or profound calm and quiet as dormancy, like your weekend of dormancy after an incredibly hectic week at school. It's mainly used in a more scientific way, though, to talk about the dormancy some animals go through in the winter in order to save valuable energy or the dormancy of certain plants during a dry season. Other things that are temporarily inactive, like volcanoes, also experience dormancy.
Vocabulary lists containing dormancy
Plants (Botany) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though low temperatures will plunge them into dormancy, they produce a type of antifreeze that lets them survive harsh winters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
“My Neighbor Totoro” is a gateway into a pastoral ideal that still exists in living memory, reviving parts of our imagination that maturity has stifled into dormancy.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
One potential bright spot for the private-equity industry is the IPO market, which is coming back to life after years of dormancy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Raj believes if Jan Suraaj can maintain a steady ground presence, cultivate local leadership and avoid the "post-election dormancy" that traps many new parties, it may gradually convert attention into influence.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
I crouch by the trunk, my fingers stroking the bark, seeking a Braille code, a clue, a message on how to come back to life after my long undersnow dormancy.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
