Synonyms of sleeping

sleeping 1 of 3

adjective

as in asleep

being in a state of suspended consciousness

a roomful of sleeping preschoolers at a daycare center

Synonyms & Similar Words

• asleep
• resting
• napping
• dormant
• at rest
• dozing
• slumbering
• dreaming
• nodding
• drowsy
• sleepy
• somnolent
• comatose
• slumberous
• sleepwalking
• hypnotized
• semiconscious
• reposing
• somnambulant
• mesmerized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• awake
• sleepless
• wakeful
• aware
• wide-awake
• conscious
• sleepless
• up
• aroused
• awakened
• revived
• wakened
• roused
• astir
• reawakened

sleeping

2 of 3

noun

as in resting

Related Words

• resting
• slumbering
• dozing
• lethargy
• torpidity
• oversleeping
• torpor
• tiredness
• sleepiness
• sluggishness
• drowsiness
• fatigue
• lassitude
• somnolence
• weariness
• doziness

Dissimilar Words

• insomnia
• consciousness
• wakefulness
• awareness
• sleeplessness

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

• resting
• napping
• dozing
• dreaming
• snoozing
• slumbering
• catnapping
• dropping off
• sleeping in
• hibernating
• nodding off
• drowsing (off)
• oversleeping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• waking
• rising
• arising
• arousing
• awaking

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

• breeding
• mating
• doing it
• having sex
• copulating
• fornicating
• fooling around

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sleeping

Adjective

An autopsy showed that the infant died from asphyxiation secondary to a co-sleeping/overlay event with an unsafe sleeping environment. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026

Noun

Wellhouse Leisure The little top hat-like pop-up roof is of no use in expanding sleeping capacity, as it's installed exclusively for raising the snug interior to a standing height over 6 feet. — New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2026

Most camper vans have a small bed in the back, usually a convertible sofa or platform bed, and some have pop-tops for extra sleeping space for kids. — Sara Hansen, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2026

Items currently being prioritized for donation that can be dropped off at GEM headquarters in Doral include tents, tarps, sleeping bags, blankets and hygiene products. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026

Witnesses reported adjusting Martinez's sleeping position and checking his pulse and breathing to look for signs of alcohol poisoning throughout the night, the documents said. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Ginger and white cat Fruitcake slept on top of my sleeping bag, with my legs tucked inside. — Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

Upgrading to first class adds another layer of comfort, with private sleeping accommodations that make overnight travel feel far less tiresome. — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026

Freighted with history, Fraser’s sleeping figures hold in suspension all that de Monteflores’s motherhood deferred. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

The behaviors were associated with lifespan but did not establish that sleeping or swimming more caused the fish to live longer. — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026

Verb

One of those, the USS Gerald R Ford, also reported problems earlier this year, from toilets that weren’t working to a laundry fire that briefly stopped combat operations and destroyed some sleeping quarters. — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Too much caffeine can cause a racing heart, shakiness, anxiety, headaches, elevated blood pressure, and trouble sleeping. — Dr. Onaola Adedeji, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

But when strange, dangerous things begin to happen to the sleeping clientele, Penny must uncover the mystery before the nightmare spreads beyond the store. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026

Some workers were seen sleeping, so supervisors took away chairs. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026

Either way, check the rental listings for the layout and sleeping arrangements to make sure everyone has a place to sleep. — Sara Hansen, Denver Post, 11 Aug. 2026

If sleep will not come, experts recommend getting up and reading for a few minutes rather than lying in bed anxious about not sleeping. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026

Harvard Health points to a 2021 review in the Journal of Endocrinology showing that sleeping just five to six hours a night doubles the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes compared with sleeping seven to eight hours. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026

Some travel essentials are simply non-negotiable, from a blackout eye mask for sleeping on the plane to a personal safety alarm for peace of mind. — Hayley Domin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026