sleepwalk

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From sleep +‎ walk.

Verb

[edit]

sleepwalk (third-person singular simple present sleepwalks, present participle sleepwalking, simple past and past participle sleepwalked)

  1. (intransitive) To walk or perform other actions while sleeping; to somnambulate.
    • 2022 August 24, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Rail strikes deadlock”, in RAIL, number 964, page 3:
      Government... unions... industry... we have had enough. We - no, YOU - are sleepwalking the rest of us towards a less busy, less relevant industry with a smaller workforce, fewer passengers, fading importance, declining investment, poorly-paid jobs, and a truly shambolic reputation.
  2. (intransitive, figurative) To perform actions without being aware of them; to do something that invites certain results without confronting that possibility.
    The government is sleepwalking into a crisis.
    They're trying to sleepwalk past their health problems.

Usage notes

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

See also

[edit]