- 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.
But if I were sleeping, I, of course, wouldn’t be tracking.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
Some of those waiting may benefit from non-medical support, advice about sleeping better or getting more physical exercise, for example.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The past is never dead, perhaps, but if it’s only sleeping, sentences like this won’t wake it up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Many think of corporate naming in the context of disasters like Tronc, the notoriously short-lived rebrand of media conglomerate Tribune Publishing, or Reebok’s Incubus, a shoe named for a mythological demon that attacks sleeping women.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I couldn’t imagine sleeping a wink; I tossed and turned, wriggling noisily in my blanket.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
