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

Families would do well to check into either the Suisho suite—spacious and comfortable in accommodating rollaway beds or cots, with private dining available on the balcony—or Kinu, with its tatami mat floor sleeping area with family-friendly futons. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026

Evidence remains mixed, and dreams could also be an experiential by-product of useful sleeping-brain activity, rather than an adaptation with its own job description. — New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026

The bedrooms were initially designed as open-air sleeping porches. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2026

The Ethan Allen Express is a daytime train, so there are no private sleeping accommodations. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026

The helicopter crew on Tuesday discovered a tent collapsed under the snow with their sleeping bags, a stove and clothing near a lake northwest of Ice Mountain — but the students were nowhere to be found. — Dave Collins, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Their sleeping bags, a stove and some clothing were inside the tent, but Kaden and Jackson were not located. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Their sleeping bags, a stove and some clothing were found inside the tent. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

The hikers’ sleeping bags, stove and some clothing were found inside the tent, but the hikers were nowhere to be found. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2026

Verb

The bears in sleeping caps and nightgowns on the box are excellent role models. — Alicia Oltuski, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026

The sleeping arrangements for the grad students at the Pico Trigaza hut [bottom] were spartan, but the views were first-rate. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026

Participants with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke who reported sleeping well had better cognitive function and brain volume than their counterparts who slept poorly. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Residents were also advised to install window screens and chimney caps, secure exterior doors and avoid leaving unscreened windows open, particularly while sleeping. — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The barn in the back, where the doctor kept his horse for making house calls across the county, was renovated by the previous owner to include a kitchenette, an open living room space, and sleeping quarters. — Sallie Lewis, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2026

The problem, however, was that some of the things that topped the list weren’t tasks that AI could help with, like sleeping or eating. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026

Why would animals add imagined experiences to the business of sleeping? — New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026

Because much of this activity will occur late at night, viewers should have multiple reliable ways to receive severe weather warnings while sleeping. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026