- present participle of sleep.
sleeping
Americannoun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or having accommodations for sleeping.
a sleeping compartment.
-
used to sleep in or on.
a sleeping jacket.
-
used to induce or aid sleep or while asleep.
sleeping mask.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sleeping
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at sleep, -ing 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And in an X post widely derided for "showing off" her dedication to work, she wrote in July she has been chronically sleeping just "zero to three hours" as prime minister.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Parents said cicadas banging into windows prevented their children from sleeping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The vast majority of the migrants returned to Morocco within hours of their arrival, but several thousand remain in Ceuta, many of them children, and most are sleeping rough on beaches or streets.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Valkyries established a 30-plus network of area bars for fans to gather to watch games and they helped a player with sleeping problems by offering everything from a different comforter to a sleep study.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
They spend most of the winter either pressed against the side of it or sleeping beneath it.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
