1
as in bed
a natural periodic loss of consciousness during which the body restores itself
neither of them has been getting much sleep since the baby was born
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in death
the state of being dead
a grieving widower longing to join his beloved wife in her eternal sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fate
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities
regretfully put their terminally ill dog to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to rest
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
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sleep
Trang Tran, Verywell Health, 30 Jan. 2026
Experts were eager to emphasise the importance of education around sleep.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
People who move consistently fall asleep faster, sleep deeper and wake feeling more refreshed.
—Fred Sassani, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleep
Noun
If used for sleep support, supplementation prior to bedtime is preferred.
—Trang Tran, Verywell Health, 30 Jan. 2026
Experts were eager to emphasise the importance of education around sleep.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Heart rhythms, sleep quality, activity patterns and metabolic trends are captured in real time.
—Sahar Hashmi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
People who move consistently fall asleep faster, sleep deeper and wake feeling more refreshed.
—Fred Sassani, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleep
Noun
-
The bed is surrounded by almost 360 degrees of glass, and schools of fish, octopus and squid regularly travel by (at night, dim lights are activated to attract nocturnal marine life).—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Today, his office oversees full-service patrol, investigations, warrant and civil divisions, a 400-bed facility and nearly 200 employees.—
Angela George,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The preliminary cause of death was multiple sharp-force injuries.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
He was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at the woman's suburban Houston apartment.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The mass shooting killed fewer than 100 people altogether but ultimately sealed the fate of the Shah’s foundering regime.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The elaborate nature of the burial site, adorned with a handwoven shell cap atop the boy’s head, along with shells, knives and all sorts of other ritual objects, may have been intended to ward off future evil events like the one that sealed this boy’s fate.—
Sara Novak,
Scientific American,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Warriors were playing without starters Stephen Curry (knee) and Draymond Green (back), while Minnesota's Anthony Edwards was a late scratch to rest a recurring right foot injury.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Another reason is that sectors of the US economy continue to rest on an implicit bargain between the government, employers, and migrants.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Still, Aradski warned that extended calm can breed complacency.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The family has bred and raised several draft horses through the years, growing the herd to as many as 22 at one point on their 40-acre Mountain View Belgians northwest of Longmont.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Injuries schminjuries Wednesday night was absolutely brutal for injuries, as the gods awoke from their New Year’s slumber.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Here are our top on-sale recommendations for all types of sleepers, including hybrid mattresses for a Goldilocks-like slumber and organic mattresses for eco-conscious shoppers.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But fear of the difficult dead neither originated in nor has been confined to the nineteenth-century European re-imaginings of Vlad the Impaler.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Citizens commune not just with deceased relatives but with the undifferentiated mass of anonymous dead.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The demise of the Mercedes and the investigations that followed generated reams of paperwork, which now told Dooley the rest of the story.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Since the demise of the deputy executive director, New Jersey has, by informal agreement, selected the chairman of the Port’s board.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleep. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
