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
-
Tolbert’s 10-year-old son was on a couch playing video games while his 4-year-old brother was asleep next to him at their home in the 3600 block of West Palmer Street in the Logan Square neighborhood, according to prosecutors.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
10 July 2025 -
Live 00:00 06:12 06:12 Officials give timeline of response efforts as floods impacted Texas 06:12 Kerrville Police Community Services Officer Chief Jonathan Lamb painted a somber picture of how the morning of July 4 unfolded as floods took over Hunt, when most residents were asleep.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
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
-
But the infection typically does improve with resting, drinking fluids and over-the-counter medication.—
Christina Shaw,
Fox News,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
After lying dormant for years, the match was revived in NXT by Triple H, becoming a popular annual event for the brand.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
-
In fact, the trade market was surprisingly dormant league-wide after widespread anticipation that a hectic two nights were in store.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Sleeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeping. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share