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
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For older children, napping may reflect individual sleep needs, efforts to make up for shorter nighttime sleep or structured rest periods in after-school programs.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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The loose, wide-leg cut is chic enough to wear around the Airbnb and relaxed enough to fall asleep in, while the easy pull-on style makes the transition from all-day exploring to pre-dinner napping seamless.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With a 45% increase in unsheltered homelessness in the state, lawmakers are proposing legislation to prohibit municipalities from using general laws like trespassing against unhoused people who are simply resting or storing their belongings on public land.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
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Somewhere in the forests of Borneo, a spider sits perfectly still on a leaf, producing a foul smell and resting on a thin patch of white silk.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Babies and young children attend events into the wee hours of the night, often falling asleep in someone’s arms or dozing across several chairs.—
Katrina Donham,
Parents,
25 Feb. 2026
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Not worrying about these wakeups could make all the difference in dozing back off easily.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
24 Feb. 2026
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 5 Mar. 2026.
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