hibernate

[ hi-ber-neyt ]

/ ˈhɪ bərˌneɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: hibernate / hibernating / hibernation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), hi·ber·nat·ed, hi·ber·nat·ing.

Zoology. to spend the winter in close quarters in a dormant condition, as bears and certain other animals.Compare estivate.

to withdraw or be in seclusion; retire.

to winter in a place with a milder climate: Each winter finds us hibernating in Florida.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hibernate

First recorded in 1795–1805, hibernate is from the Latin word hībernātus (past participle of hībernāre to spend the winter). See hibernal, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM hibernate

hi·ber·na·tion, nounhi·ber·na·tor, nounpost·hi·ber·na·tion, adjectivesem·i·hi·ber·na·tion, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hibernate

estivate, hibernate

Words nearby hibernate

hibachi, hibakusha, Hibbing, hibernaculum, hibernal, hibernate, hibernation, Hibernia, Hibernian, Hibernicism, Hibernicize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use hibernate in a sentence

As of November 17, two locations are officially hibernating, ceasing operations entirely for the next few months and, hopefully, reopening when it’s safer and more profitable to serve customers again.
Why Restaurants Are ‘Hibernating’ and What That Really Means|Hillary Dixler Canavan|December 18, 2020|Eater
You may be tempted to hibernate through the end of 2020 and beyond, but we’ve got a whole slew of books set in cold locations to keep you awake.
The perfect science fiction, fantasy and genre-bending tales for the chilly days ahead|Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
To monitor the animals’ body chemistry, “I worked in dark, cold chambers — utterly quiet —surrounded by hibernating squirrels,” Rice says.
These Arctic squirrels recycle bits of their own bodies to survive winter|Carolyn Wilke|December 16, 2020|Science News
That’s the coldest body temperature ever recorded in a bird or non-hibernating mammal.
One hummingbird survives cold nights by nearly freezing stiff|Jonathan Lambert|October 26, 2020|Science News For Students

It’s been well known that infants and hibernating animals have brown fat.
Gene editing can alter body fat and may fight diabetes|Silke Schmidt|October 23, 2020|Science News For Students
After these well-meaning moments they are left alone to hibernate with their own devastation.
Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors|John Kael Weston|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The insects frequently hibernate in warmed houses, and may bite during the winter.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It is thought that kangaroo rats do not hibernate but remain more or less active throughout the winter.
Speciation in the Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys ordii|Henry W. Setzer
We cannot well believe that they hibernate, nor is the hypothesis of a sojourn in the middle strata of mid-ocean exactly tenable.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
In winter they hibernate like our squirrels, passing several months underground in a kind of slow and nearly motionless existence.
Chatterbox, 1906|Various
The above facts proved that it was just at the season of the year when the bear was ready to hibernate.
Seventy Years on the Frontier|Alexander Majors

British Dictionary definitions for hibernate

hibernate

/ (ˈhaɪbəˌneɪt) /

verb (intr)

(of some mammals, reptiles, and amphibians) to pass the winter in a dormant condition with metabolism greatly slowed downCompare aestivate

to cease from activity

Derived forms of hibernate

hibernation, nounhibernator, noun

Word Origin for hibernate

C19: from Latin hībernāre to spend the winter, from hībernus of winter, from hiems winter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hibernate

Origin of hibernate

OTHER WORDS FROM hibernate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hibernate

Words nearby hibernate

Words related to hibernate

How to use hibernate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hibernate

Derived forms of hibernate

Word Origin for hibernate