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

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

Because a versatile, full-size 1,000-mile (1,600-km) electrified SUV that just happens to integrate full sleeping and dining accommodations sure sounds like an impressive evolution of the camper to us. — New Atlas, 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

Spacious and comfortable staterooms, with separate living and sleeping areas, walk-in closets, and double-vanity bathrooms. — Erica Silverstein, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026

His consumption of the sleeping medication was further exacerbated by Caroline’s death and led him to experience several harrowing seizures due to withdrawal. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026

Updated in 2011, the modern whitewashed residence offers bright, comfortable living spaces, while a more remote cabin near the back of the ranch includes two more bedrooms and a sleeping loft. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026

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

Verb

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

At the Whitney Biennial, Carmen de Monteflores’s long-unseen shaped canvases of colorful overlapping figures hung alongside her daughter Andrea Fraser’s wax sculptures of sleeping toddlers. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

JetBlue employees found Sammuel Lackey, 32, sleeping aboard a 2012 Airbus A320 during a routine interior inspection prior to moving the jetliner early Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026

Kraits often enter homes at night and may bite sleeping people. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Before bed, a lower heart rate generally reflects that your body is shifting into a more relaxed state that’s more conducive to sleep—but being relaxed isn’t necessarily the same thing as sleeping well. — Zoe Cunniffe, HEALTH, 5 Aug. 2026

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