copulation

noun

Definition of copulationnext
as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis female pandas are receptive to copulation for a short time once a year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of copulation More than likely, based on Golden State statutes, the eight years Weinstein received for the forcible oral copulation conviction will be reduced by a couple of years. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 June 2026 After spending close to seven years in prison, Weinstein, 74, has still served less than half of his 16-year-sentence in California, where he was found guilty of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by foreign object against Jane Doe 1. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026 She was booked on allegations of sending harmful material to a juvenile, oral copulation and digital penetration. — Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026 Samantha Josephine Watson, 41, of Eastvale, was booked at the Robert Presley Jail on Friday on suspicion of sending harmful material to a juvenile, oral copulation and digital penetration, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 22 May 2026 Berera was initially charged with committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, court records show, but those counts were dropped through the plea deal. — Nate Gartrell, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026 The Valley overlaps geographically with the hippie homeland of San Francisco, Berkeley, and their environs, and there’s long been cross-pollination, if not orgiastic copulation, between the two spheres. — Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 Brian Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copulation
  1. intercourse
  2. mating
  3. relations
Noun
  • After intercourse, the teenager had snapped photos of her naked body on a futon as evidence.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 16 July 2026
  • The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.
    — Gwladys Fouche, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Definition of intercourse
Noun
  • Each group of lemurs (called a troop) has a core female group that dominates mating, territory, and resource distribution.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 July 2026
  • Canine transmissible venereal tumor, or CTVT, is a genital cancer that dogs pass to one another during mating.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of mating
Noun
  • Postwar intellectuals used psychoanalytic ideas in a variety of ways, including to discuss race relations and homosexuality.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Rather, the pivotal transactions, graphed like the peaks and valleys of a volatile stock index, are the relations between men and women.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of relations

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copulating
copulation
copy
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Cite this Entry

“Copulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulation. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on copulation

Nglish: Translation of copulation for Spanish Speakers

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