1
: not able to sleep
lay sleepless with fever
2
: affording no sleep
sleepless nights
3
: unceasingly active or operative
sleepless casinos
sleeplessly
adverb
sleeplessness
noun
Examples of sleepless in a Sentence
He lay sleepless in bed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alice Cooper discovered his love of entertaining in the Cortez High School cafetorium, returning to the Valley in the ’80s after finding fame and fortune as the rock star most likely to inspire sleepless nights for sheltered parents of Boomers Gone Wild.
—
Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
In a way, the first moments in the story between Victor and The Creature are a study of parenthood and the quick madness that ensues from sleepless nights and uncertainty.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
After enduring a sleepless night while the settlers slept on their library floor, the Khalidi family regrouped in the morning.
—Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Members of the Afghan diaspora spent hours, and sleepless nights, trying to call and text relatives, friends and colleagues back home.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepless
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Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025
In a way, the first moments in the story between Victor and The Creature are a study of parenthood and the quick madness that ensues from sleepless nights and uncertainty.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
After enduring a sleepless night while the settlers slept on their library floor, the Khalidi family regrouped in the morning.
—Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Members of the Afghan diaspora spent hours, and sleepless nights, trying to call and text relatives, friends and colleagues back home.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepless
Cite this Entry
“Sleepless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleepless. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sleepless
adjective
sleep·less
ˈslē-pləs 
1
: not able to sleep
2
: marked by the absence of sleep
a sleepless night
3
: unceasingly alert or active
sleeplessly
adverb
sleeplessness
noun
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