copulate
verb
cop·u·late ˈkä-pyə-ˌlāt 
copulated; copulating
intransitive verb
: to engage in sexual intercourse
copulation
ˌkä-pyə-ˈlā-shən
noun copulatory
ˈkä-pyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē
adjective 
Synonyms
- breed
- mate
- sleep
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Some animals have complex mating rituals before they copulate. the time of year when deer in the wild are likely to copulate
Recent Examples on the Web In the communal web, female Philoponella prominens rarely leave, whereas their male counterparts venture to other webs to mate and can copulate with a female spider up to six times before moving onto another one, Zhang said. 
Megan Marples, CNN, 26 Apr. 2022 As a couple, we were finished, though still copulating. Matthew Klam, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2020 These include someone washing a cucumber, copulating wind-up toy rabbits, a phallic fungus, a beaver, the Washington Monument, the pop of a champagne cork, and the sensuous blossoming of a flower. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2019 The notorious sculpture depicts Pan, rustic god of the wild, copulating with a she-goat. Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 3 July 2019 Males will try to copulate not only with females, but also other males. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 29 June 2019 A few weeks ago the pair, named Monty and Rose, began copulating, said Giometti. Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, 14 June 2019 Even with the copulating couple caught on camera, the attention is all on the child's response to the spectacle. Marlisse Cepeda, Woman's Day, 26 Jan. 2015 In New York, detectives have turned their attention to a student-actress' accusation she was forced to orally copulate the producer in 2004 and another actress' allegation of rape in 2010. Richard Winton, latimes.com, 20 Mar. 2018 See More
Megan Marples, CNN, 26 Apr. 2022 As a couple, we were finished, though still copulating. Matthew Klam, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2020 These include someone washing a cucumber, copulating wind-up toy rabbits, a phallic fungus, a beaver, the Washington Monument, the pop of a champagne cork, and the sensuous blossoming of a flower. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2019 The notorious sculpture depicts Pan, rustic god of the wild, copulating with a she-goat. Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 3 July 2019 Males will try to copulate not only with females, but also other males. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 29 June 2019 A few weeks ago the pair, named Monty and Rose, began copulating, said Giometti. Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, 14 June 2019 Even with the copulating couple caught on camera, the attention is all on the child's response to the spectacle. Marlisse Cepeda, Woman's Day, 26 Jan. 2015 In New York, detectives have turned their attention to a student-actress' accusation she was forced to orally copulate the producer in 2004 and another actress' allegation of rape in 2010. Richard Winton, latimes.com, 20 Mar. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin copulatus, past participle of copulare to join, from copula — see copula
First Known Use
1630, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
copulate
intransitive verb
cop·u·late ˈkäp-yə-ˌlāt
copulated; copulating
1
: to engage in sexual intercourse
2
of gametes : to fuse permanently compare conjugate sense 1
copulation
noun
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
Relevance
- sex
- intercourse
- mating
- relations
- coitus
- coition
- copulating
- lovemaking
- sexuality
- breeding
- coupling
- sexual intercourse
- sex act
- sexual relations
- commerce
- making love
- fornication
- congress
- getting it on
- carnality
- insemination
- safe sex
- dalliance
- whoopee
- hanky-panky