verb
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hibernate
HEYE-buh-nayt
Hibernate (verb) means For an animal to spend winter in a dormant, low-energy state. Example: “Bears hibernate through the coldest months of the year.”
verb
1
For an animal to spend winter in a dormant, low-energy state.
"Bears hibernate through the coldest months of the year."
"Some frogs hibernate buried in mud at the bottom of a pond."
2
For a computer to enter a power-saving mode that saves its current state to disk.
"Set the laptop to hibernate instead of shutting down completely."
How to use hibernate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo go dormant for a long stretch — either an animal sleeping through winter, or a computer saving its state and powering down.
Common pairings
hibernate for the winter
hibernate mode
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- hibernates
- Past tense
- hibernated
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Can you complete this real example?
Bears _____ through the coldest months of the year.
Etymology
From Latin "hibernatus," the past participle of "hiberno" ("to winter"), from "hibernus" meaning "wintry."
Synonyms
View more →
hole up
Antonyms
estivate
aestivate
Rhymes for hibernate
See all rhymes for hibernate →Frequently asked questions
What does “hibernate” mean?
The word “hibernate” means for an animal to spend winter in a dormant, low-energy state. In plain terms, to go dormant for a long stretch — either an animal sleeping through winter, or a computer saving its state and powering down.
How do you pronounce “hibernate”?
“Hibernate” is pronounced HEYE-buh-nayt (/ˈhaɪbəɹˌneɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “hibernate” in a sentence?
Here is “hibernate” used in a sentence: “Bears hibernate through the coldest months of the year.”
What part of speech is “hibernate”?
“Hibernate” is a verb.
Where does the word “hibernate” come from?
The word “hibernate” comes from Latin. From Latin "hibernatus," the past participle of "hiberno" ("to winter"), from "hibernus" meaning "wintry.".
How many meanings does “hibernate” have?
“Hibernate” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: for an animal to spend winter in a dormant, low-energy state.
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