suspended animation

noun

1
: temporary suspension of the vital functions (as in persons nearly drowned)
2
: a condition (such as inactivity) likened to suspended animation

Examples of suspended animation in a Sentence

animals that sleep through the winter in a state of suspended animation the husband's feeling that their love life was in suspended animation while his wife lavished all her attention on the new baby
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Tessier, meanwhile, focuses exclusively on applying the science of hibernation and suspended animation to organs that are being held for transplantation, to prevent them from being injured in the process. Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 22 July 2024 Increasingly beset by uncontrollable twitches, loss of balance and hallucinations, patients beg for a return to suspended animation. Dallas News, 28 June 2022 For the past eight months, the yellow-bellied marmot has been hibernating, existing in suspended animation to survive the bitterly cold winter. Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2022 With the economy practically in suspended animation at the start of the pandemic, car sales plummeted. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2022 See all Example Sentences for suspended animation 

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of suspended animation was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near suspended animation

Cite this Entry

“Suspended animation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspended%20animation. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

suspended animation

noun
: temporary suspension of the bodily functions necessary to maintain life

Medical Definition

suspended animation

noun
sus·​pend·​ed animation sə-ˈspend-əd- How to pronounce suspended animation (audio)
: temporary suspension of the vital functions (as in persons nearly drowned)
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