lie dormant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unlike police drones dispatched after a 911 call, Mithril’s machines lie dormant in ceiling-mounted boxes, charging until a threat arrives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Routine screening is vital in catching latent TB, which can lie dormant in the body for decades.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
Hidden inside was a piece of malicious software that would lie dormant in the council's network until it was activated remotely.
From BBC • May 18, 2025
Across California and Arizona, there are stretches of desert that can quickly transform into dense fields of wildflowers, since seeds lie dormant in the soil and then germinate and blossom at around the same time.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2024
They lie dormant and waiting, these mud frogs, for without water their lives are incomplete, they are not fully themselves.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
