1
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
2
: a state of mental or physical sluggishness : torpor
plural comae
ˈkō-ˌmē 
-ˌmī
1
: a tufted bunch (as of branches, bracts, or seed hairs)
2
: the head of a comet consisting of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
3
: an optical aberration in which the image of a point source is a comet-shaped blur
Examples of coma in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025
He was put in a coma and his career was in the balance.
—Richard Amofa, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Jason Iskandar’s First Breath After Coma follows three Chinese Indonesian siblings torn between their dilemmas and family obligations as their father lies in a coma in the late 1990s.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Jason Peña, 14, was in a coma for several weeks after he was shot Dec. 27 on a highway near the town of Las Palmas, authorities in Mexico said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coma
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Noun
Morgan broke his leg and was in a coma for two weeks after the accident, which killed his collaborator and mentor James McNair and left others injured.
—Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025
He was put in a coma and his career was in the balance.
—Richard Amofa, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Jason Iskandar’s First Breath After Coma follows three Chinese Indonesian siblings torn between their dilemmas and family obligations as their father lies in a coma in the late 1990s.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Jason Peña, 14, was in a coma for several weeks after he was shot Dec. 27 on a highway near the town of Las Palmas, authorities in Mexico said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coma
Cite this Entry
“Coma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coma. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coma
1 of 2 noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a sleeplike state of unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
coma
2 of 2 noun
plural comae
-ˌmē
-ˌmī
: the head of a comet made up of a cloud of gas and dust and usually containing a nucleus
Etymology
Noun
scientific Latin, from Greek kōma "deep sleep"
Noun
from Latin coma "hair," from Greek komē "hair" — related to comet
Medical Definition
coma
noun
co·ma
ˈkō-mə
: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
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