Standard Lemma guide

copulate

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkɒp.jʊ.lət/
  • US: /ˈkɔ.pjə.lət/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: /ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈkɔ.pjə.leɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒpjəleɪt
  • rhymes with -ɒpjʊleɪt
  • rhymes with -ɔpjəleɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA1 P Y AH0 L EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Joined; associated; coupled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Joining subject and predicate; copulative.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To engage in sexual intercourse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: formal

Examples

  • The amorous couple were found copulating inside the car.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

engage in sexual intercourse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Birds mate in the Spring

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mate, pair, couple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: join, conjoin

Narrower terms: nick, sleep together, roll in the hay, love, make out, make love, sleep with, get laid, have sex, know, do it, be intimate, have intercourse, have it away, have it off, screw, fuck, jazz, eff, hump, lie with, bed, have a go at it, bang, get it on, bonk, tread, serve, service, deflower, ruin, ride, mount, breed, cover, sodomize, sodomise, bugger

History

Etymology

From Latin cōpulātus, the perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”). See -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

From Latin cōpulātus, perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French copuler.

Across languages

Translations

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جَامَعَ (jāmaʕa) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Arabic: ضَاجَعَ (ḍājaʕa) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Arabic: مَارَسَ الْجِنْس (mārasa l-jins) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Armenian: զուգավորել (zugavorel) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Bangi: siba — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Bulgarian: съвокуплявам се (sǎvokupljavam se) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Catalan: copular — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Cebuano: iyot — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Chichewa: kugonana — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Chichewa: kupita — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϩⲃ (nouhb) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Czech: souložit — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Danish: kopulere — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Esperanto: seksumi — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Esperanto: amori — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Estonian: paarituma — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Finnish: rakastella — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Finnish: paritella — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • French: coïter — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Georgian: კოპულირებს (ḳoṗulirebs) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Georgian: წყვილდება (c̣q̇vildeba) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Georgian: ჯვარდება (ǯvardeba) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • German: kopulieren — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • German: beischlafen — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • German: vögeln — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ancient Greek: μῑ́γνῡμι (mī́gnūmi) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ancient Greek: σύνειμι (súneimi) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hawaiian: ai — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hindi: मैथुन (maithun) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hindi: संभोग (sambhog) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hindi: सहवास (sahvās) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hindi: चुदाई (cudāī) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hungarian: közösül — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hungarian: párosodik — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hungarian: párzik — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Hungarian: üzekedik — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ido: koitar — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ilocano: iyot — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ingrian: koinia — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ingrian: hässiä — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Japanese: 性交する (seikō suru) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Japanese: まぐわう (maguwau) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Jarai: tĕ — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Kapampangan: karat — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Karok: kuth — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Karok: ihravrikûunish — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Kazakh: қосылдыру (qosyldyru) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Northern Kurdish: perîn — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Northern Kurdish: gunhêlî kirin — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Northern Kurdish: cot bûn — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Northern Kurdish: gan — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Latin: coeō — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Lingala: siba — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Malay: berasmara — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Malay: senggama — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Malay: jimak — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Malay: amput — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: ai — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: mahimahi — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: onioni — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: tauonioni — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: tōkai — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Māori: hika — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Middle English: comunen — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Nauruan: meir — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Nepali: चिक्नु (ciknu) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Old English: hǣman — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Persian: جفت گرفتن (joft gereftan) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Persian: مرزیدن (morzidan) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Polish: spółkować — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Polish: kopulować — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Portuguese: copular — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Romanian: împerechea — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Russian: совокупля́ться (sovokupljátʹsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Russian: совокупи́ться (sovokupítʹsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Russian: сноша́ться (snošátʹsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Russian: спа́риваться (spárivatʹsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Russian: спа́риться (spáritʹsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Sanskrit: यभति (yabhati) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Scottish Gaelic: cliath — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Spanish: copular — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Tagalog: kantutin — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Tagalog: italik — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ukrainian: зляга́тися (zljahátysja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Ukrainian: злягти́ся (zljahtýsja) — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Volapük: koitön — to engage in sexual intercourse
  • Zhuang: doxej — to engage in sexual intercourse