Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To remain alive through the winter.
  • intransitive verb To pass or spend the winter.
  • adjective Occurring during the period of winter.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To keep or preserve for the winter.
  • verb intransitive To spend the winter (in a particular place).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb spend the winter

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English

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Examples

  • So the problem is, do I dig it up and "overwinter" it inside or do I turn her lose on the world and see if she's hardy enough to make it on her own?

    Archive 2007-10-01 Field Notes 2007

  • So the problem is, do I dig it up and "overwinter" it inside or do I turn her lose on the world and see if she's hardy enough to make it on her own?

    Pragmatic Solutions Field Notes 2007

  • Frost used to kill them off, but now they "overwinter" and produce more generations each year as they go.

    A Convenient Untruth Shnayerson, Michael 2007

  • Millions of the orange and black-winged insects migrate to the Oyamel fir forest in Mexico to overwinter, he said, noting that 'overwinter' is a term that refers to the winter migration of butterflies and other critters.

    Home News Tribune - News 2008

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

  • "There will be a small percentage of animals that will" overwinter "within the bays, utilizing the deeper holes as a thermal refuge when temperatures drop precipitously.

    The Daily News - News 2010

Comments

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  • "Onions growing from onion sets, left in the garden in the fall will often overwinter and grow new tender, little stalks very early in the spring."

    - Gene Logsdon, The gentle art of non-gardening, energybulletin.net, 20 May 2009.

    May 22, 2009