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

After two moves in less than a year, Joni Moreland’s efforts to find a new home for her nonprofit — which provides free clothes, hygiene products, groceries, dog beds and sleeping mats for residents in need of assistance — is far from over. — Taylor O'Connor 29, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026

Your sleeping position is also important; for example, for those who can manage it, sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated is a excellent for your skin, and helps prevent fluid from pooling under your eyes. — Laura Sandroni, Vogue, 29 July 2026

Those two beds combine to give the Nansen a total sleeping capacity of four people. — New Atlas, 29 July 2026

The flocked top and raised pillow rest end create a comfortable sleeping surface. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Burnham also led efforts to tackle rough sleeping in Manchester during his mayoral tenure. — Callum Sutherland, Time, 20 July 2026

Heavy blankets, sleeping bags, a ground cloth, an auto cushion, and a pillow are all necessary equipment. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 18 July 2026

Volunteers flattened and folded the bags, cut them into strips and tied them together to form plastic year, which was woven into durable sleeping mats using looms. — Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Sleep systems Choosing the right sleeping foundation is essential. — Clay Abney, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026

Verb

The lower level also includes a separate heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, three guest suites, and a bunk suite sleeping four. — Joe Marusak july 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026

Other symptoms might include difficulty sleeping and eating or maintaining personal hygiene. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 31 July 2026

Ceuta’s regional leader urged Madrid to declare a national emergency and deploy the army, warning reception centers are overwhelmed and hundreds of exhausted arrivals are sleeping on the streets. — Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

But the image stuck with him—Spider-Man marketing appearing through his car’s dormant apps while the car was sleeping, waiting for him. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 July 2026

King’s claim said the arrest also reactivated post-traumatic stress disorder from her deployments to Iraq, prompting difficulty sleeping and eating. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 29 July 2026

Hundreds of migrants are now sleeping outside a migrant reception center that is over capacity. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

Scientists describe these differences as chronotypes, our natural preference for sleeping and being alert at particular times of day. — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Silva experienced homelessness, too, often sleeping under the cover of a gazebo at the Riverbank Community Center. — Trevor Morgan, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026