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

In November 2005, church volunteer Scott Preston Moore entered sleeping quarters at night and inappropriately touched two teenage boys. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Downstairs is a spacious sleeping area that could also work as a gym or home office and benefits from an enormous skylight equipped with automatic blackout shades. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 19 Oct. 2026

Inside the sleeping chamber, the bed headboard fits into a shallow arched niche that echoes the arches found throughout the house. — Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026

After decades of creating some of the lightest sleeping pads for camping, Cascade Designs’s latest release is also one of the plushest. — Adam Schram, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

All of the sleeping quarters are situated on the lower level, where two primary bedrooms are accompanied by two guest suites and two additional guest bedrooms. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026

Then Digory accidentally unleashes the evil empress Jadis (Emma Mackey, who played Physicist Barbie in Barbie) from a sleeping spell, and chaos breaks out. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

Other strategies include encouraging healthy sleeping habits, teaching coping habits such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation, and spending time together. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

For instance, lowering the thermostat while away from home or while sleeping can reduce energy use, while sealing air leaks around windows and doors and maintaining heating equipment can also help lower consumption. — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Verb

On June 24, Matis blew through a stop sign and slammed into a home on the 2900 block of Southwest 57th Avenue, where Bezy was sleeping. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Health organizations, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, say too much caffeine can cause significant side effects, including tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, seizures and other complications. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Two years ago, the judges ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026

Cherie Dodge was 57 when she was killed while sleeping last Wednesday on a park bench in downtown Roseville. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

People with circadian depression were also more likely to report a bipolar disorder diagnosis and to meet criteria for atypical depression, a type marked in part by sleeping too much and weight gain, says Kruse. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 21 Oct. 2026

As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping. — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

Humans have been sleeping on some sort of mattress for 77,000 years, beginning with leaves and twigs, then innovating through other plant materials and animal hair, eventually reaching today’s many, many foam offerings. — Jaklin Romine oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

In the premium version of the app, Health Guardian also monitors blood pressure, insulin resistance, and sleeping trends. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026