suspended animation

American  

noun

1. a state of temporary cessation of the vital functions.

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suspended animation British  

noun

1. a temporary cessation of the vital functions, as by freezing an organism

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Etymology

Origin of suspended animation

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

‘The Matrix films were based on the idea that machine-addicted humans would put their bodies in suspended animation.’

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The crew, who are near the end of a 65-year mission — suspended animation keeps them young and pretty — are transporting an extraterrestrial bestiary back to Earth.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025

Going to sleep in the cryochamber – with its pods radiating outward like the petals of a suspended animation daisy – was their second mistake.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2025

To survive the annual dry season, the fish's embryos enter a state of extreme suspended animation or "diapause" for approximately 8 months.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

Everything I wanted to say would have to wait, and I’d go back to the same suspended animation I’d been in before.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd