Meanings
verbhibernate (third-person singular simple present hibernates, present participle hibernating, simple past and past participle hibernated)
present singular third person hibernates · participle present hibernating · participle past hibernated · past hibernated · alternative hivernate · alternative hybernate
- intransitivebiologyTo 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.
Hedgehogs and bears are two of the many mammals that hibernate in winter.
1 more example
Organisms have developed all sorts of ways of dealing with these variations. They hibernate or estivate or migrate.
2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, chapter 8, in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Henry Holt and Company - intransitiveTo live in seclusion.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinhībernātus
- Englishhibernate
Borrowed from Latin hībernātus, perfect passive participle of hībernō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from hībernus (“wintry”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φωλέω
- φωλέω (phōléō)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Arabic أَسْبَتَ
- أَسْبَتَ (ʔasbata)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Bulgarian зиму́вам
- зиму́вам (zimúvam)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Catalan hibernar, hibernar
- hibernarspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- hibernarcomputer: enter a standby state
Chinese Mandarin 冬眠, 休眠
- 冬眠 (dōngmián)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- 休眠 (xiūmián)computer: enter a standby state
Czech přezimovat
- přezimovatspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Dutch overwinteren, een winterslaap houden
- overwinterenspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- een winterslaap houdenspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Finnish horrostaa, nukkua talviunta
- horrostaaspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- nukkua talviuntaspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- mennä horrostilaancomputer: enter a standby state
French hiberner, hiverner
- hibernerspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- hivernerspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
German Winterschlaf halten, überwintern
- Winterschlaf haltenspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- überwinternspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- zurückgezogen lebenlive in seclusion
- in den Ruhezustand wechselncomputer: enter a standby state
- Ruhezustand einnehmencomputer: enter a standby state
Indonesian hibernasi
- hibernasispend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Italian ibernare
- ibernarespend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Japanese 冬眠する
- 冬眠する (tōmin suru)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Māori moe-hōtoke, moe-hōtoke
- moe-hōtokespend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- moe-hōtokecomputer: enter a standby state
Norwegian Bokmål gå i dvale
- gå i dvalespend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Persian خواب زمستانی
- خواب زمستانیcomputer: enter a standby state
Polish hibernować
- hibernowaćspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Portuguese hibernar
- hibernarspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Romanian hiberna
- hibernaspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Russian зимова́ть, перезимова́ть
- зимова́ть (zimovátʹ)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- перезимова́ть (perezimovátʹ)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Slovak prezimovať
- prezimovaťspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Spanish hibernar, hibernizar (DPD)
- hibernarspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- hibernizar (DPD)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Swedish övervintra
- övervintraspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Tagalog mag-hibernate, i-hibernate
- mag-hibernatespend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- i-hibernatespend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Thai จำศีล
- จำศีล (jam-sǐin)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Turkish kış uykusuna yatmak
- kış uykusuna yatmakspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Ukrainian зимува́ти, перезимува́ти
- зимува́ти (zymuváty)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
- перезимува́ти (perezymuváty)spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Vietnamese ngủ đông
- ngủ đôngspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Welsh gaeafgysgu
- gaeafgysguspend winter time in a dormant or inactive state
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
hibernate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hibernate
MLA
“hibernate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hibernate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hibernate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hibernate.
Source: hibernate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.