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
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Coaching often means less-than-ideal sleeping patterns.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
The sleeping quarters are in a separate wing.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 May 2026
For more of our favorite ways to add extra sleeping space, check out different types of sofa beds below.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 12 May 2026
Transforming the cabin from sitting to sleeping is a group effort that includes unpacking the ladder (usually stowed beneath the seats with the luggage), unfastening the upper bunks, and making the beds.
—Emily Manthei, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
Unlike traditional sleeper sofas with bulky pull-out mattresses, this slim design folds flat into a casual, lounge-style sleeping space.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2026
The Host Ready app includes practical information on topics such as food, religion, general background, sleeping and meal schedules.
—Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Expect cryotherapy pods, hyperbaric chambers, altitude training rooms, thermal pools and molecular nutrition labs, paired with five-star sleeping accommodations and architecture designed to feel restorative on its own.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
John Shumway, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Cities spend millions cycling people through jails for sleeping outside while affordable housing waitlists continue to grow.
—Shianne Leclaire, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
This collapse of order and reason is further accentuated by a man, naked save his underwear, sleeping sweaty and slumped over in a chair.
—Vadim Rizov, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
More than 1,000 students took advantage of that opportunity last year, sitting in on classes and meals, attending social events and sleeping over.
—Jon Marcus, NPR, 16 May 2026
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Couple them with some wide-leg sweatpants (or Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans) and a sleeping mask, and voila!
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Granada Hills baseball coach Matt Matuszak has spent each night this week sleeping on a couch in the hospital after his wife gave birth to the family’s first child, a girl.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Pricing varies dramatically depending on accommodation type, from sleeping-bag spaces to luxury suites.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 11 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
One photo in the carousel showed a series of polaroids of the newborn sleeping, her proud dad holding up a celebratory bottle of champagne by her bassinet, and Duhamel and Mari posing together.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Coaching often means less-than-ideal sleeping patterns.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
The sleeping quarters are in a separate wing.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 May 2026
For more of our favorite ways to add extra sleeping space, check out different types of sofa beds below.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 12 May 2026
Transforming the cabin from sitting to sleeping is a group effort that includes unpacking the ladder (usually stowed beneath the seats with the luggage), unfastening the upper bunks, and making the beds.
—Emily Manthei, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
Unlike traditional sleeper sofas with bulky pull-out mattresses, this slim design folds flat into a casual, lounge-style sleeping space.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2026
The Host Ready app includes practical information on topics such as food, religion, general background, sleeping and meal schedules.
—Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Expect cryotherapy pods, hyperbaric chambers, altitude training rooms, thermal pools and molecular nutrition labs, paired with five-star sleeping accommodations and architecture designed to feel restorative on its own.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Verb
One of the things that makes or breaks your sleep is sleeping temperature.
—John Shumway, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Cities spend millions cycling people through jails for sleeping outside while affordable housing waitlists continue to grow.
—Shianne Leclaire, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
This collapse of order and reason is further accentuated by a man, naked save his underwear, sleeping sweaty and slumped over in a chair.
—Vadim Rizov, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
More than 1,000 students took advantage of that opportunity last year, sitting in on classes and meals, attending social events and sleeping over.
—Jon Marcus, NPR, 16 May 2026
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Couple them with some wide-leg sweatpants (or Rag & Bone's sweatpant jeans) and a sleeping mask, and voila!
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Granada Hills baseball coach Matt Matuszak has spent each night this week sleeping on a couch in the hospital after his wife gave birth to the family’s first child, a girl.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Pricing varies dramatically depending on accommodation type, from sleeping-bag spaces to luxury suites.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleeping
Adjective
-
But the underlying mechanism is well-established — a landmark 1999 study in Nature found foot vasodilation was the single strongest physiological predictor of how quickly someone falls asleep.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
12 May 2026
-
Guests are encouraged to fall asleep during the session — making rest itself the treatment.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The marker says the cemetery became the final resting place of many Black residents, many of whom worked in the area’s farming fields, groves and packing houses.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
Multiple clues pointed to Tampa's final resting place, said William Thiesen, a Coast Guard Atlantic Area historian.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Inside the bus, students — ever the teenage archetype — were napping, chatting and stretching.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
-
When one of them crouched to pet the Federicos’ dog Marshall, napping on the floor, Rob explained how Kong dog toys were invented.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The findings suggest that restoration could be improved by selecting or breeding eelgrass better suited to future conditions.—
Annika Hammerschlag,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Prevent mosquitos from breeding by eliminating standing water, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The males will sometimes pursue the females for up to one week before mating even occurs.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
30 Apr. 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 19 May. 2026.
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