overwinter

/ˌəʊvəˈwɪntə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌəʊvərˈwɪntər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌō-vər-ˈwin-tər/ (ame, mw)

overwinter — verb

  • overwinterpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • overwintershe / she / it
  • overwinteredpast simple
  • overwintering-ing form

1. If a person, animal, or plant overwinters in a place, they stay there from late

1.動詞不及物C1
釋義

If a person, animal, or plant overwinters in a place, they stay there from late autumn until early spring.

例句

Many swallows leave Britain and overwinter in southern Africa.

intransitive + in [place]

Most monarch butterflies overwinter in the high pine forests of central Mexico.

同義詞
  • winter (verb)

    broader, can mean simply spending the season anywhere; less ecological

  • hibernate

    specifically about a deep dormant state, not just spending winter

反義詞

文法句型

overwinter + in/at + [place]

用法筆記

Subject is usually an animal, plant, or migratory population; rarely a single named human outside travel-writing contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The birds overwintered the field.
✅The birds overwintered in the field.
💡sense 1 is intransitive and needs a preposition before the place.

2. To shelter and look after a plant or animal so that it survives the cold months

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

To shelter and look after a plant or animal so that it survives the cold months until growing weather returns.

例句

Ignacio overwinters his geraniums in a glass porch beside the kitchen.

transitive + [plant] object

The zoo overwinters its tortoises in a heated indoor enclosure each year.

subject = institution; object = animals

同義詞
  • winter over

    common informal verb phrase for the same action, often used by gardeners

  • shelter

    wider scope; can mean any protection, not specifically against winter

文法句型

overwinter + [plant/animal]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense takes a direct object (the thing being protected); sense 1 takes no object. Common with potted plants, bulbs, tropical species, and managed livestock.

常見錯誤

❌I overwinter in my fuchsias indoors.
✅I overwinter my fuchsias indoors.
💡no preposition; the plant is the direct object.

3. To plant a crop in autumn and let it keep growing slowly through the cold months

3.動詞及物C2
釋義

To plant a crop in autumn and let it keep growing slowly through the cold months for harvest in spring.

例句

Farmers in eastern England often overwinter wheat to gain an earlier summer harvest.

transitive + [crop] object

Sade plans to overwinter garlic so she can harvest fat bulbs in early June.

同義詞
  • winter-sow

    specifically about sowing seeds in autumn for spring germination; narrower

反義詞
  • spring-sow

    to plant a crop in spring for a later harvest

文法句型

overwinter + [crop]

用法筆記

Object is almost always a hardy field crop (wheat, barley, garlic, brassicas, broad beans). Distinct from sense 2 because the goal is continued growth and a future harvest, not merely keeping the plant alive.

常見錯誤

❌The garlic overwinters by the farmer.
✅The farmer overwinters the garlic.
💡the cultivator is the subject; the crop is the direct object.

overwinter — adjective