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
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Within 30 minutes of being picked up, Giovanni texted his mother, who had been studying for an upcoming pharmacy board exam and was asleep.—
Janelle Griffith,
People.com,
9 Aug. 2025 -
The clip shows a woman—who is said to be around 6.5 feet tall—gingerly climbing over a fellow passenger who appears to be asleep in the aisle seat.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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But the infection typically does improve with resting, drinking fluids and over-the-counter medication.—
Christina Shaw,
Fox News,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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The drought put brush and other vegetation in the area into dormant, winter-like states, fire behavior analyst Kevin Thompson said during the Monday night meeting.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
12 Aug. 2025
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What should be a tender, feminist-minded story centered on a young woman rediscovering her dormant childhood dreamer turns into a middling melodrama about being with a cute guy in desperate need of her rescue.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Sleeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeping. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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