Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🐻 To sleep for winter 💻 To save and power off
to hibernate

to hibernate

1 6.3
To save what the computer is doing and turn it off so you can continue later
  • verb
  • /ˈhaɪbərˌneɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hibernar
  • Should I set my computer to hibernate or turn it off when I'm finished using it?

Examples

  • Nimani still has power inside its hibernating state for half an hour.

    A.I. Rising (2018)

  • Otherwise, I just close the lid and the machine hibernates.

    Blog text (19)

  • "I also use the start menu to hibernate my PC when leaving work; that is now also in the metro stuff.

    Blog text (15)

  • I also use the start menu to hibernate my PC when leaving work; that is now also in the metro stuff.

    Blog text (15)

  • So no, it is not hibernate, but borrows loading the 'state' from the HD like hibernate does.

    Blog text (8)

  • When I use the "Midnight" widget on my Mac, it can't hibernate but stops!

    Blog text (23)

  • Now here's the key difference for Windows 8: as in Windows 7, we close the user sessions, but instead of closing the kernel session, we hibernate it.

    Blog text (8)

  • Now here's the key difference for Windows 8: as in Windows 7, we close the user sessions, but instead of closing the kernel session, we **hibernate** it.

    Blog text (8)

  • The other way power can be consumed is that Windows can use ACPI features so that scheduled tasks can 'wake up' even a fully hibernated system.

    Blog text (8)

  • There is also Hybrid Sleep on Windows, which is a sleep/hibernate state that will hibernate the system but put it in Sleep mode for a short amount of time in case the user needs instant resume; if they don't, it will seamlessly fully power off after a few minutes.

    Blog text (8)

Synonyms

to persist
vsto hibernate
  • Specialized
1 6.8

To save data so it is still there after a computer or phone stops

saves entire memory and powers the device down for later full session restore

How Low-Power

to shut down
541 2.9
to hibernate
  • Specialized
1 6.3
to put to sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.4
to idle
1 3.2
to stay on
111 3.4

Surface Forms

hibernate infinitive
hibernated past
hibernated past participle
hibernating present participle
hibernates third person singular

Morphology

hibernate = hibern + ate

This computing sense is a metaphorical extension of the biological sense and still depends on the non-english combining form 'hibern-', so learners cannot derive the meaning from common English components.

Etymology

Hibernate comes from the Latin verb hibernare, 'to spend the winter', and a helpful image is a computer 'sleeping through winter'. So to hibernate a computer is to save its work and turn off the power so you can start again later.