somnambulate

[ som-nam-byuh-leyt, suhm- ]

/ sɒmˈnæm byəˌleɪt, səm- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: somnambulation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), som·nam·bu·lat·ed, som·nam·bu·lat·ing.

to walk during sleep; engage in sleepwalking.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of somnambulate

First recorded in 1825–35; somn(i-) + ambulate

OTHER WORDS FROM somnambulate

som·nam·bu·lant, adjective, nounsom·nam·bu·la·tion [som-nam-byuh-ley-shuhn, suhm-], /sɒmˌnæm byəˈleɪ ʃən, səm-/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use somnambulate in a sentence

So pungently vital to somnambulant mankind at that epoch; to us fallen dead as carrion, and unendurable to think of.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XIII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
When my aunt appeared on the morning after her arrival she was still in a semi-somnambulant state.
The Troll Garden and Selected Stories|Willa Cather

British Dictionary definitions for somnambulate

somnambulate

/ (sɒmˈnæmbjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

(intr) to walk while asleep

Derived forms of somnambulate

somnambulance, nounsomnambulant, adjective, nounsomnambulation, nounsomnambulator, noun

Word Origin for somnambulate

C19: from Latin somnus sleep + ambulāre to walk

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012