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overwinter

American  
[oh-ver-win-ter] / ˌoʊ vərˈwɪn tər /

verb (used without object)

  1. to pass, spend, or survive the winter.

    to overwinter on the Riviera.


overwinter British  
/ ˌəʊvəˈwɪntə /

verb

  1. (intr) to spend winter (in or at a particular place)

  2. (tr) to keep (animals or plants) alive through the winter

  3. (intr) (of an animal or plant) to remain alive throughout the 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

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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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