as in napping
to sleep lightly or briefly
picnickers drowsing in the shade of an oak tree
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Recent Examples of drowsing
Bear in mind that those 55 million impressions were totted up long before Nielsen began counting scores of drowsing aunts and hyperactive toddlers among its national TV deliveries.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Jena looked over at the man’s camel, drowsing alongside the tent.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Jena looked over at the man’s camel, drowsing alongside the tent.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drowsing
Verb
-
The low, boxy silhouette is ripe for secret-sharing or cat-napping.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The 36-year-old Nickelodeon alum, who reportedly struggles with addiction to meth and habitually turns down local authorities’ offers of treatment and temporary housing, was napping on a stoop Monday, according to footage obtained by TMZ.—
Jami Ganz,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The reforms would also introduce a system to track truckers’ resting and working hours.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The Tree Haus is a standout, boasting 2 floors resting 23 feet above the ground, surrounded by a canopy of towering pines.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Afternoons here are deliciously drowsy, spent dozing in the shade, gently parting calm sea water, or gliding past craggy rock formations in a little motor-boat.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
-
An airport-style metal detector opened onto an intake counter, a security guard station, and a few dozen chairs, occupied by people dozing or staring ahead or attempting to console their crying baby while waiting for their name to be called.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The actress had a hard time slumbering after her week one mistakes, and now she’s expected to do a cartwheel into splits after tearing her hamstring?—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
23 Sep. 2025
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The late-slumbering parent, meanwhile, can do remote work on their laptop at the table at night while the rest of the family sleeps comfortably.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drowsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drowsing. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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