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.

By the early 20th century, the coffee house of The Spectator was seen as a kind of half-waking dream, which alluded the clinical scrutiny of the biographer or historian.

From The Guardian • Jun. 30, 2015

Consequently, when surprised in a half-waking half-sleeping state, his fears Touretted out: he found himself saying the worst things his unconscious could imagine – precisely the remarks that Edith/Carmichael least wanted to hear.

From The Guardian • Nov. 11, 2012

Classes, already fraught with social drama, turned into half-waking nightmares.

From Salon • Jun. 19, 2012

At times, his sleep problems took the form of a related disorder that researchers call sleep terrors — essentially, a half-waking nightmare state that the subject is unable to snap out of.

From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2010

She was half-waking herself, uneasy because of the motion, and so cold that every part of her body was numb.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman