sleep 1 of 2

noun

ˈslēp How to pronounce sleep (audio)
Definition of sleepnext
1
as in bed
a natural periodic loss of consciousness during which the body restores itself neither of them has been getting much sleep since the baby was born

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in death
the state of being dead a grieving widower longing to join his beloved wife in her eternal sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fate
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities regretfully put their terminally ill dog to sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sleep

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to rest
to be in a state of sleep the baby slept for the entire length of the car trip found the night watchman sleeping at his post

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to breed
to engage in sexual intercourse if I don't read the tabloids, how will I know who is sleeping with whom this week?

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sleep
Noun
Beyond the emergency features, the Link captures a lot of biomarkers — activity, sleep, calories and heart rate variability, to name a few. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2026 The advice emphasizes the importance of sleep, limited screen time and up-to-date vaccinations, according to a community announcement. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
It will be paid by a woman four months postpartum who cannot sleep and cannot stop crying, who calls six numbers and is offered a first appointment in seven weeks, and who decides somewhere around the fourth call that help does not exist. — Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 Images on social media show Cubans, including children, sleeping on cots on sidewalks, streets and rooftops to escape the heat during evening blackouts. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sleep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleep
  1. bed
  2. death
  3. fate
  4. rest
  5. breed
  6. slumber
  7. dead
  8. demise
Noun
  • Think custom modern furniture, beds dressed in cloud-like linens, and soothing palettes of cream, sand and light timber.
    — Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Cole had risen from bed, turned on the light by her sister’s desk, then left her alone.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of bed
Noun
  • His death ignited anger in a small town where tensions between Black residents and the police have boiled over in recent years.
    — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The public health department’s document also listed a history of stroke and kidney cancer as other significant conditions that contributed to his death, but did not result in the underlying cause of Curry’s death.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of death
Noun
  • Former Boilermakers union members convicted in June of racketeering conspiracy — including ex-International President Newton Jones — will be waiting three more months to learn their fate.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Kohl’s decided in 2016 to close one of its big box stores in Roswell, but no one knew the building’s fate would be stuck in purgatory for the next decade.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fate
Verb
  • McGowan remembers one visit when Pearl gently rested her head in a woman’s lap at a senior facility and kept returning to her throughout the visit.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But as Bengals fans know all too well, this season rests on whether Burrow can stay healthy.
    — Takashi Williams, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rest
Verb
  • Ocean-going seabirds feed at sea, return to the cliffs to breed, their guano transporting marine nutrients onto land and fertilizing the ground below.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Love emphasized that a week of partying and art viewing on the playa can breed ferocity.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of breed
Noun
  • Whereas Clara’s journey is one into slumber, inaction, passivity, and perpetuating the system.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Fall is almost here, which means my flip-flops and sandals are seeing their final days of 2026, and my boots and sneakers are waking up from a long slumber.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of slumber
Noun
  • Ronald Exantus was released from Kentucky Department of Corrections custody July 29 after completing the sentence imposed for assaulting Logan Tipton's father and sisters during the 2015 home invasion that left the 6-year-old dead.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Fire crews soon pronounced the driver of the Ram dead at the scene.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of dead
Noun
  • The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.
    — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Syrian civil war that began during that period eventually saw the demise of the Assad regime – Hafez’s son Bashar had continued his father’s hard-line legacy after coming to power in 2000.
    — Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of demise

Phrases Containing sleep

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sleeks
sleep
sleeper
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Cite this Entry

“Sleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleep. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sleep

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sleep

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