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sleepwalking

 - 7 dictionary results

sleep⋅walk⋅ing

[sleep-waw-king]
–noun
1. the act or state of walking, eating, or performing other motor acts while asleep, of which one is unaware upon awakening; somnambulism.
–adjective
2. of or pertaining to the state of walking while asleep; somnambulistic.

Origin:
1790–1800; sleep + walking


sleepwalker, noun

sleep⋅walk

[sleep-wawk]
–verb (used without object)
1. to engage in sleepwalking.
–noun
2. an act of sleepwalking; somnambulation.

Origin:
1920–25; back formation from sleepwalking
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sleepwalking
sleep·walk   (slēp'wôk')   
intr.v.   sleep·walked, sleep·walk·ing, sleep·walks
To walk or perform other motor acts while asleep; somnambulate.

[Back-formation from sleepwalking.]
sleep'walk'er n.
sleep·walk·ing   (slēp'wô'kĭng)   
n.  The act or an instance of walking or performing another activity associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state. Also called noctambulism, somnambulism.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
sleepwalk

  1. n.
    a movement toward something without effort; easy advancement; an easy task. (Something that could be done in one's sleep. See also cakewalk; walk.) : Getting the degree was a sleepwalk. Getting a job was hell.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Medical Dictionary

sleepwalking sleep·walk·ing (slēp'wô'kĭng)
n.
The act of walking or performing another activity associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state. Also called noctambulism, somnambulism.


sleep'walk' v.
sleep'walk'er n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

sleepwalking

a behavioral disorder of sleep in which a person sits up and performs various motor actions, such as standing, walking about, talking, eating, screaming, dressing, going to the bathroom, or even leaving the house. The episode usually ends with the sleepwalker returning to sleep, with no subsequent memory of the episode. Sleepwalking is most common in children, though it may also appear in adolescents and young adults. It occurs only during deep sleep, when dreams are basically absent. Sleepwalking becomes dangerous only when the possibility exists of the sleepwalker accidentally injuring himself.

Learn more about sleepwalking with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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