Meaning & use
soundly sleeping
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Sleeping deeply and peacefully, without waking easily.
Grammar: Used after be or other linking verbs: The baby is soundly sleeping. It sounds formal; 'sleeping soundly' is more common.
Patterns
- be soundly sleeping
- be soundly sleeping in something
When we checked on her, she was soundly sleeping in her crib.
The hotel guests were soundly sleeping despite the storm outside.
Common combinations
- be soundly sleeping
- By midnight, the whole family was soundly sleeping.
- soundly sleeping baby
- The soundly sleeping baby did not wake when the door closed.
- soundly sleeping in bed
- He was soundly sleeping in bed when the alarm rang.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fast asleep
- More common and natural in everyday speech; it describes the state, not the action.
- deeply asleep
- Similar meaning, but 'deeply asleep' is less idiomatic than 'sound asleep' or 'fast asleep'.
Opposites
Word family
- sleep soundly phrase
- The verb phrase meaning to sleep well and deeply.
- sound sleep noun
- A period of deep, undisturbed sleep.
Commonly confused: soundly sleeping or sleeping soundly?
soundly sleeping vs sleeping soundly
The same meaning, but the adverb comes after the verb; this is the more natural order.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The usual order is 'sleeping soundly' (verb + adverb). 'Soundly sleeping' is possible but less natural. 'Sound sleeping' is wrong because 'sound' as an adverb is not used before 'sleeping'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soundly sleeping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.