copulate
verb (used without object)
to engage in sexual intercourse.
copulating
-
present participleof copulate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Bigger males monopolize females, physically separating small males from their partner if they spot them copulating.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2023
During this period the female beetle releases the pheromone that makes the male abstain from copulating with her, allowing both to spend their time caring for the developing larvae.
From Reuters ● Mar. 22, 2016
British conductor Thomas Beecham once likened the harpsichord's sonic quality to that of two skeletons copulating on a roof in a thunderstorm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2015
Germaine Greer compared her interviewing style to "spiders copulating", while Spitting Image created a Joan Rivers puppet that was a skeleton.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 4, 2014
The copulation of two coalescing cells, which in these cases often precedes the reproduction, cannot be regarded as a sexual act unless the two copulating plastids differ in size or structure.
From The Evolution of Man — Volume 1 by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel
