sleepwalk en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From sleep + walk.
Meanings
-
(intransitive) To walk or perform other actions while sleeping; to somnambulate.
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.
2022 August 24, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Rail strikes deadlock”, in RAIL, number 964, page 3:
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(figuratively, intransitive, transitive) To perform actions without being aware of them; to do something that invites certain results without confronting that possibility.
They're trying to sleepwalk past their health problems.
The government is sleepwalking into a crisis.
Chris Coons, a Democratic senator, said he was also alarmed at the administration’s actions, telling the station: “I have no idea why the president is seizing an oil tanker and I’m fairly gravely concerned that he’s sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.”
2025 December 11, Joseph Gedeon, quoting Chris Coons, “US lawmakers condemn seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker: ‘Trump is sleepwalking us into a war’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sleepwalking | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| sleepwalks | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| sleepwalked | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| sleepwalked | Tense=Past | lexicographic |