as in asleep
being in a state of suspended consciousness
a roomful of sleeping preschoolers at a daycare center
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in resting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleeping
Adjective
-
Hargitay and her siblings (who were all asleep in the backseat) survived with minor injuries.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
29 June 2025 -
The kids were asleep in the back seat; the three adults in the front—Mansfield, her companion at the time, and the car’s driver—were killed instantly.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
During the winter months, your lawn is either growing slowly or resting in dormancy, depending on the climate in your region.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2025
-
But the infection typically does improve with resting, drinking fluids and over-the-counter medication.—
Christina Shaw,
Fox News,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Glenn Close may have played the dog-napping Cruella De Vil in the 1996 live-action 101 Dalmatians, but Stone starred in this 2021 prequel, which explored Cruella's origins inside the world of high fashion.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
While napping has been found to be beneficial for cognitive abilities like memory and function, the timing is important — longer naps and napping later in the afternoon could cause someone to feel more alert when bedtime rolls around, Drerup said.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Waititi never recommitted to Akira and the project has been dormant ever since.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
-
The group is currently dormant after Argent suffered a stroke last year that forced him to retire from touring, while White and Grundy have appeared only as special guests since 1997.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
24 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Sleeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeping. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share