hibernate
/'haibə:neit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To spend the winter in a dormant or inactive state: This is the primary biological meaning, referring to animals entering a state of deep sleep to conserve energy during cold months when food is scarce.
- To be in a state of inactivity or dormancy: Used more generally to describe any period of minimal activity, withdrawal, or suspension of function.
Usage Examples
- Verb (Biological):
- Many animals, like ground squirrels and bats, hibernate to survive the winter.
- The bear will hibernate in its den for several months.
- Verb (General/Figurative):
- During the economic downturn, the construction project seemed to hibernate.
- He decided to hibernate from social media for a few months to focus on his studies.
Advanced Usage
- "to go into hibernation": to begin the process of hibernating.
- The hedgehogs go into hibernation when the temperature drops.
- "to come out of hibernation": to emerge from a dormant state.
- The bears come out of hibernation in the spring, very hungry.
Variants and Related Words
- Hibernation (n): The state or period of hibernating.
- The frog's hibernation lasts until the pond thaws.
- Hibernator (n): An animal that hibernates.
- The woodchuck is a true hibernator.
- Hibernal (adj): Of, relating to, or occurring in winter.
- The hibernal landscape was covered in snow.
Synonyms
- Dormant: In a state of rest or inactivity; not active but capable of becoming active.
- Lie dormant: To remain inactive for a period.
- Overwinter: To spend the winter in a particular place (can imply less profound dormancy than hibernate).
Related Phrases
- Hibernate mode (Computing): A power-saving state where the computer saves its current state to the hard disk and turns off.
- I set my laptop to go into hibernate mode after 30 minutes of inactivity.
Verb
- be in an inactive or dormant state
- sleep during winter
- Bears must eat a lot of food before they hibernate in their caves