hibernate
verb (used without object)
to spend the winter in close quarters in a dormant condition, as bears and certain other animals.
were hibernating
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past progressiveof hibernate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
On a day in late March when the water temperature was 38 degrees, he pointed from his dock to the Peconic, where 200,000 2-year-old oysters and half a million 1-year-olds were hibernating in submerged cages.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2017
Crystal guessed that they were hibernating in their vehicles.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 24, 2016
They were hibernating, E-mailing people in the next cubicle.
From Time Magazine Archive
She felt safe there, as though she were hibernating at the heart of the forest with time suspended and the world frozen—the temporary safety of a quiet way station one must leave in the morning.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Her teacher said that the lemmings had a chemical similar to antifreeze in their blood, that kept them active all winter when other little mammals were hibernating.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
