Showing results for "sleepwalking"

• present participle of sleepwalk.

sleepwalking

American  

[sleep-waw-king] / ˈslipˌwɔ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or state of walking, eating, or performing other motor acts while asleep, of which one is unaware upon awakening; a condition or disorder characterized by this.

   If the sleepwalking occurs often, the healthcare provider may do tests to rule out other disorders such as seizures.

2. the state or condition of acting seemingly without awareness, feeling, aim, or will.

   Mindfulness is a commitment to staying awake to reality in each moment—avoiding any sleepwalking through life.

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adjective

1. walking while asleep; relating to this state or condition.

   It is unwise to try waking up a sleepwalking child, as this may result in distress for the child.

2. acting seemingly without awareness, feeling, aim, or will.

   Last night Nigeria easily beat the sleepwalking UK team, now on the brink of elimination.

Other Word Forms

• sleepwalker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sleepwalking

First recorded in 1790–1800; sleep + walking

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sleepwalking

Baroness Sheehan, the committee chair, said: "England is at risk of sleepwalking into serious water scarcity if the government does not act now to safeguard the water system."

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“People are kind of sleepwalking into disaster,” Nestler said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

On a never-ending feed we watch the cute and profane, sleepwalking toward an emotional state beyond shock as entertainment: the banality of passive consumption.

From Slate ● May 12, 2026

More recently, he has warned that the country is sleepwalking into economic stasis, thanks to bad policies and rules that make it hard to invest in new ventures and run companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

My feet dragged like a sleepwalking zombie’s across the plush carpet over to Fig’s bathroom.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas