overwinter
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
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(intr) to spend winter (in or at a particular place)
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(tr) to keep (animals or plants) alive through the winter
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(intr) (of an animal or plant) to remain alive throughout the winter
Etymology
Origin of overwinter
First recorded in 1890–95; over- + winter, replacing Old English oferwintran “to get through the winter,” which had become obsolete by the end of the Old English period (around 1150), and modeled on Norwegian and Danish overvintre, Swedish övervintra, Dutch overwinteren, or German überwintern
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.
A 2021 study found that the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada in the winter are particularly prone to these types of rekindled fires, which are also known as overwintering or “zombie” fires.
From Los Angeles Times
Recent surveys identify "poor queens" as the most common explanation for overwintering losses.
From Science Daily
Nearly every one of those caterpillars at some point drops from the tree canopy to overwinter or create a chrysalis.
As Dr Elizabeth Duncan says: "Unfortunately, they do compete with and can outcompete some native ladybird species, but they like to overwinter in different environments - harlequins in our homes and seven-spots in leaf litter."
From BBC
To put the crash into perspective, more than 4.5 million Western monarchs flocked to overwintering grounds in the Golden State less than five decades ago.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.