sleeping 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of sleepingnext
as in asleep
being in a state of suspended consciousness a roomful of sleeping preschoolers at a daycare center

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sleeping

2 of 3

noun

as in resting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sleeping

3 of 3

verb

present participle of sleep
1
as in napping
to be in a state of sleep the baby slept for the entire length of the car trip found the night watchman sleeping at his post

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in breeding
to engage in sexual intercourse if I don't read the tabloids, how will I know who is sleeping with whom this week?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleeping
  1. asleep
  2. resting
  3. napping
  4. dormant
Adjective
  • The final shot shows a new Alice identical to the original lying asleep on a metal slab in the laboratory.
    Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024
  • From background to foreground, the painting depicts a haloed Virgin Mary, a young Jesus standing between her knees, St. Jerome asleep on the ground, and St. John the Baptist, clad sparsely in animal skins, pointing a crooked finger toward the figures behind him.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of asleep
Verb
  • During the TikTok clip shared to @kobethelittleshiht, an account dedicated to Kobe the shih tzu, he can be seen resting his eyes.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • However, the 13 photos inside the album were actually of a group of people with a piece of uncooked meat, quite literally, resting on their shoulders.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of resting
Verb
  • The conflict reached a boiling point when the mother-in-law was caught feeding the baby a bottle with Froot Loops mixed in after the mom had been napping.
    Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Previous research recommends napping between 10 to 30 minutes—and not more than an hour—to improve mood and cognitive performance.
    Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of napping
Adjective
  • The conflict in Syria had remained deadly but largely dormant over the past several years, defined by low-level clashes between the rebels and Assad’s regime rather than dramatic changes in territory and control.
    Rob Picheta, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024
  • The shock offensive by insurgents, which began on Nov. 26, reawakened a conflict that has been largely dormant since March 2020 when Russia and Turkey mediated a ceasefire in northern Syria, CNN reported.
    Juliann Ventura, The Hill, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of dormant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near sleeping

sleepiness

sleeping

sleeping in

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sleeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeping. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on sleeping

Nglish: Translation of sleeping for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of sleeping for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...