1
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
2
: a state of mental or physical sluggishness : torpor
plural comae
ˈkō-ˌmē 
-ˌmī
1
: a tufted bunch (as of branches, bracts, or seed hairs)
2
: the head of a comet consisting of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
3
: an optical aberration in which the image of a point source is a comet-shaped blur
Examples of coma in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Listen to this article A man who served six months in jail for sucker-punching a Brooklyn fruit stand manager in June 2017, leaving him in a coma, was charged with manslaughter Wednesday — nearly a year after the victim succumbed to his injuries, police said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2025
He was returned to the United States in a coma the following year and died shortly afterward.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2025
For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma.
—Reuters, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for coma 
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Noun
But a friend of the vendor recently reached out to the bride to inform her that the vendor is now in a coma.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Listen to this article A man who served six months in jail for sucker-punching a Brooklyn fruit stand manager in June 2017, leaving him in a coma, was charged with manslaughter Wednesday — nearly a year after the victim succumbed to his injuries, police said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2025
He was returned to the United States in a coma the following year and died shortly afterward.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2025
For nearly a decade, Lee has faced legal challenges, including those from the merger that paved the way for his succession after his father, Lee Kun-hee, had a heart attack in 2014 that left him in a coma.
—Reuters, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for coma
Dictionary Entries Near coma
Cite this Entry
“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coma
1 of 2 noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a sleeplike state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
coma
2 of 2 noun
plural comae
-ˌmē
-ˌmī
: the head of a comet made up of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
Etymology
Noun
scientific Latin, from Greek kōma "deep sleep"
Noun
from Latin coma "hair," from Greek komē "hair" — related to comet
Medical Definition
coma
noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
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