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Glite Dictionary
to overwinter

to overwinter

3 6.6
To stay somewhere during the winter to survive the cold
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈwɪntər/
  • UK
translation icon : invernar
  • We have a few beds overwintering kale, chard, and collard beds, but they aren't enough to meet the need.
  • overwintering fish
  • overwinter in lakes
  • overwintering stage

That implies that their eggs overwintered somehow.

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Examples

  • Like coho, young sockeye overwinter in their home waters and rely on nutrients from adult spawners during a crucial growing period.

    Academic text (1997)

  • What's the ratio of men to women overwintering in the South Pole ?

    Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)

  • I took it home and put it out in the middle of the river to overwinter.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I have the plants sitting in a south-facing window right now and will overwinter them there.

    Blog text (16)

  • It's a perfect, perfect area for insects to overwinter because it's such a thick jumble.

  • Our findings to date indicate that the two Galerucella species successfully overwintered and started oviposition at all release sites.

    Academic text (1993)

  • We know crawfish frogs overwinter in burrows, where we suspect they are inactive, at least when surface temperatures are below freezing.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Celestun, the fourth-most-important winter migration site in the Gulf of Mexico, hosts up to half a million overwintering waterfowl (Quiroz 1992).

    Academic text (1993)

  • Many migratory songbirds overwinter in tropical regions to escape the cold weather.

  • In the fall, he moves them into his basement, where they overwinter on windowsills.

Synonyms

to winter
vsto overwinter
6 4.2

To stay in a place during the cold season

focuses more on surviving harsh conditions rather than merely staying
to hole up
vsto overwinter
1 7.3

An animal taking shelter in a safe place to sleep through winter

can mean survive or spend the season without hibernating
to weather the cold
vsto overwinter
4.9

To survive a period of very cold weather

includes survival plus the idea of remaining in one place through the season

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

to migrate
76 3.1

To move from one place to another to live, often for work or because seasons change

How Long-Lived

to perennate
  • Specialized
9.9
to overwinter
  • UK
3 6.6
to persist
61 3.5

Surface Forms

overwinter infinitive
overwintered past
overwintered past participle
overwintering present participle
overwinters third person singular

Morphology

overwinter = winter (transparent) = over + winter

The meaning is directly derived from the components 'over' and 'winter', indicating the action of spending or surviving through the winter.

Etymology

Overwinter combines over ('through' or 'past') and winter ('the cold season'), giving the picture of getting 'over' or through the winter; so when birds, plants, or people 'overwinter' they stay alive in a place or state until spring.