as in asleep
being in a state of suspended consciousness
a roomful of sleeping preschoolers at a daycare center
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in resting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleeping
Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026
Adam Williams
may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026
Steer clear of storing fabric, such as off-season clothing and sleeping bags, and paper products, like documents and photos, in the garage.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 May 2026
Strapped to the bikes are about 80 pounds of gear, including tools, cooking utensils, sleeping bags, tents and more.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026
Late last summer, Kaplan temporarily ordered ICE to clean up conditions, including by providing a safe sleeping space, nutritious meals, medication and access to lawyers.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Video released Tuesday shows Texas state troopers uncovering a human‑smuggling operation after a routine traffic stop on IH‑35 in Webb County led to the discovery of 20 migrants – including four minors – hidden inside a truck tractor's sleeping compartment.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 26 May 2026
My sleeping boys kept me up there.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026
Exempt items include ammo, firearms, bows, arrows, wrist guards, muzzles, silencers, rods and reels of $75 or less, tackle boxes of $30 or less, tents of $200 or less, sleeping bags, hammocks, camping stoves, camp chairs of $50 or less, and lanterns and flashlights $30 or less.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
In an Instagram Stories post, Kate, 38, shared a photo of the newborn sleeping in a blanket and wrote that her daughter was born on Saturday, May 23.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
In the house Gita lives in, kinship is learned through daily friction, through the particular silence that means someone is upset, through the understanding of who to wake and who not to disturb while sleeping.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
The allegations came to light after the Sun newspaper reported that officers were accused of leaving their posts unattended at Windsor, one of King Charles’ residences, as well as sleeping while on duty.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 1 June 2026
Most people who snore chalk it up to sleeping on their back or having had one too many drinks.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Three bedrooms and an upstairs sleeping loft provide plenty of room for families or groups, while a wood-burning fireplace and cedar sauna add welcome comfort after long days spent outdoors.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
The premiere episode features an enticing premise, where Josh gets dumped for sleeping too long post-hibernation.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
The Algarve's bathroom is situated on the other side of the living/sleeping area to the kitchen and includes a flushing toilet, a vanity sink, and a shower.
—New Atlas, 22 May 2026
Adults love sleeping there too.
—Kelly Ryan Kegans, Midwest Living, 22 May 2026
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
The Tommy's dedicated sleeping areas are made up of two lofts with low ceilings, giving it a sleeping capacity of up to six adults when the sofa bed is used.
—Adam Williams
may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026
Steer clear of storing fabric, such as off-season clothing and sleeping bags, and paper products, like documents and photos, in the garage.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 May 2026
Strapped to the bikes are about 80 pounds of gear, including tools, cooking utensils, sleeping bags, tents and more.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026
Late last summer, Kaplan temporarily ordered ICE to clean up conditions, including by providing a safe sleeping space, nutritious meals, medication and access to lawyers.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Video released Tuesday shows Texas state troopers uncovering a human‑smuggling operation after a routine traffic stop on IH‑35 in Webb County led to the discovery of 20 migrants – including four minors – hidden inside a truck tractor's sleeping compartment.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 26 May 2026
My sleeping boys kept me up there.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026
Exempt items include ammo, firearms, bows, arrows, wrist guards, muzzles, silencers, rods and reels of $75 or less, tackle boxes of $30 or less, tents of $200 or less, sleeping bags, hammocks, camping stoves, camp chairs of $50 or less, and lanterns and flashlights $30 or less.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
In an Instagram Stories post, Kate, 38, shared a photo of the newborn sleeping in a blanket and wrote that her daughter was born on Saturday, May 23.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Verb
Accommodations range from deluxe, superior, and premier to urban, and two penthouses, the latter of which are a statement stay that seem better suited for entertaining than sleeping.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
In the house Gita lives in, kinship is learned through daily friction, through the particular silence that means someone is upset, through the understanding of who to wake and who not to disturb while sleeping.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
The allegations came to light after the Sun newspaper reported that officers were accused of leaving their posts unattended at Windsor, one of King Charles’ residences, as well as sleeping while on duty.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 1 June 2026
Most people who snore chalk it up to sleeping on their back or having had one too many drinks.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Three bedrooms and an upstairs sleeping loft provide plenty of room for families or groups, while a wood-burning fireplace and cedar sauna add welcome comfort after long days spent outdoors.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
The premiere episode features an enticing premise, where Josh gets dumped for sleeping too long post-hibernation.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
The Algarve's bathroom is situated on the other side of the living/sleeping area to the kitchen and includes a flushing toilet, a vanity sink, and a shower.
—New Atlas, 22 May 2026
Adults love sleeping there too.
—Kelly Ryan Kegans, Midwest Living, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleeping
Adjective
-
Anyone who likes keeping the balcony doors open at night and falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves should enjoy the Ocean Rooms.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Veeze’s signature rapping voice, which sounds like his vocal cords are coated in phlegm and cough syrup, is increasingly versatile, despite the sometimes half-asleep delivery.—
Matthew Ritchie,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Family and friends gathered outside a historic church there, slowly filing into cars for the long funeral procession to my aunt’s final resting place.—
Theodore R. Johnson,
Washington Post,
27 May 2026
-
For more than 40 Revolutionary War-era soldiers, the long journey to their final resting place fittingly ended on Memorial Day weekend in the idyllic southeastern foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s a small, warm body of evidence that some of the most therapeutic sounds on earth may already be napping on your couch, singing outside your window and humming in your backyard.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Pictures of a napping polar bear, the remnants of a rain shower in the Namib desert and a bustling dumpling stall in Seoul are among this year’s winners of the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition, capturing both extraordinary moments and daily life around the world.—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In 1985, a breeding population of the black-and-white Aedes albopictus mosquito hitched a ride on a Japanese tire shipment bound for Texas.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
By ignoring how selection pressures work, the fishing industry has ended up breeding its future generations primarily from smaller fish with less reproductive ability.—
Owen D. Jones,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Darkness is essential to fireflies for mating and increasing their population.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
-
For the first time in 200 years, red-and-green macaws are mating in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, according to BBC Wildlife.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Lily is the quickest to figure out the detective stories that George reads them every evening in the field, but otherwise smarts count for little in a quiet life of grazing and dozing.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There’s no dozing off in his sessions.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeping. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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