ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Hibernate

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈhaɪbə(r)ˌneɪt/ · Part of speech verb

Quick meaning: Hibernate is a verb meaning (intransitive) To live in seclusion.

Meaning

(intransitive) To live in seclusion.

More Meanings

  1. (intransitive, computing) To enter a standby state which conserves power without losing the contents of memory.
  2. (intransitive, biology) To spend the winter in a dormant or inactive state of minimal activity, low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate; to go through a winter sleep.

Example Sentences

Hedgehogs and bears are two of the many mammals that hibernate in winter.
Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.
Organisms have developed all sorts of ways of dealing with these variations. They hibernate or estivate or migrate.

Word Forms

Antonyms for hibernate

Common opposites include aestivate, estivate.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include overwinter, sleep, sleeping, marmots, chipmunks, raccoons.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.