1. a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals during winter
Usage: biology
2. a period of inactivity or withdrawal from normal activities
Usage: figurative

Examples

• Bears enter hibernation in late fall to survive the winter months.
• During hibernation, the animal’s heart rate and breathing slow dramatically.
• Ground squirrels can remain in hibernation for up to eight months.
• The writer emerged from his creative hibernation with a new novel.
• After the busy holiday season, she went into social hibernation.
• The company’s expansion plans went into hibernation during the recession.