# hibernate

/ˈhaɪbɝˌneɪt/ (US) · /hˈaɪbənˌeɪt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hibernate
Updated: 2026-05-30

## Definition

to sleep for a long time during the winter, or to put a computer into a deep sleep to save power. In both cases, the system stops working until it is time to wake up again.

For teachers: to undergo a period of inactivity and metabolic depression during winter; in computing, to save the current state of the system to disk and power down. Often used metaphorically to describe a person or project that is inactive for an extended period.

## Examples

- The bear will hibernate in its cave until spring.
- To save battery life, the laptop will hibernate if you do not use it for an hour.
- While the software was designed to hibernate during periods of low demand, the developers discovered that the process occasionally caused data corruption if interrupted by a sudden power loss.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.