hibernates

verb

present tense third-person singular of hibernate
as in sleeps
to be in an inactive state bears hibernating in their dens

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hibernates The reptile, which hibernates individually in holes, burrows or rock crevices, prefers to live along ridgelines and bluffs, especially on south and southwest facing slopes. — Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hibernates
  1. sleeps
  2. rests
  3. plays
  4. dozes
  5. idles
Verb
  • Yarlington Lodge is a 12-acre estate that sleeps up to 32 guests and also features a Jacuzzi, a private movie theater, and a tennis court.
    — Mary Holland, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
  • Like a guardian of the absolute desert, Chile’s coastal mountain range sleeps a mineral slumber, the bluffs defending the driest desert in the world.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of sleeps
Verb
  • In its standard stock configuration, an 11-gram weight rests in the back with a 3-gram weight up front for maximum forgiveness and higher launch, though fitters can easily flip the weights to lower spin and create a flatter trajectory.
    — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Nadella’s conviction on the massive investment rests on software, the backbone of Microsoft.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 July 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • A lot of great actors are based around there, and there were others like Lubna Azabal who plays Julia Felix.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
  • Sean Clements Rated PG-13, 1 hour 43 minutes Johnson plays Dustin Boyd, whose laser-focused, hardass father Chuck (Ed Harris) trained him for tennis excellence from early childhood.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • On some of my visits, Marsha dozes most of the time.
    — Marc Silver, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Rather, the protagonist dozes right through it.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Definition of dozes
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles

Browse Nearby Words

hibernated
hibernates
hibernating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hibernates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hibernates. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hibernates

Nglish: Translation of hibernates for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All