Meaning & use

hibernation

noun·Academic

A dormant, sleep-like state that certain animals enter during winter to conserve energy.

See it in a sentence

Bears build up fat reserves in autumn to survive months of hibernation.

During hibernation, a groundhog's heart rate and body temperature both drop sharply.

A note on using this word

Hibernation refers to true winter dormancy; a similar dormant state some animals enter during summer is called estivation.

Words with a similar meaning

dormancy

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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