Standard Lemma guide

somnambulate

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /sɒmˈnæm.bjʊ.leɪt/
  • General-American: /sɑmˈnæm.bjuˌleɪt/
  • General-American: /sɑmˈnæm.bjəˌleɪt/
  • General-American: /səmˈnæm.bjəˌleɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æmbjʊleɪt

1

verb

Meaning 1

To walk while sleeping.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

walk in one's sleep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sleepwalk

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: walk

History

Etymology

Probably a back-formation from somnambulism.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 夢遊 /梦游 (mung6 jau4) — to walk while sleeping
  • Chinese Mandarin: 夢遊 /梦游 (mèngyóu) — to walk while sleeping
  • Danish: gå i søvne — to walk while sleeping
  • Dutch: slaapwandelen — to walk while sleeping
  • Finnish: kävellä unissaan — to walk while sleeping
  • French: somnambuler — to walk while sleeping
  • German: schlafwandeln — to walk while sleeping
  • German: nachtwandeln — to walk while sleeping
  • Italian: essere sonnambulo — to walk while sleeping
  • Māori: haere momoe — to walk while sleeping
  • Polish: lunatykować — to walk while sleeping
  • Portuguese: sonambular — to walk while sleeping
  • Romanian: merge prin somn — to walk while sleeping
  • Serbo-Croatian: mesečarstvo — to walk while sleeping
  • Spanish: ser sonámbulo — to walk while sleeping
  • Spanish: pasearse / ambular / caminar dormido — to walk while sleeping
  • Spanish: somnambular — to walk while sleeping
  • Spanish: ser somnámbulo — to walk while sleeping
  • Swahili: tembea usingizini — to walk while sleeping
  • Swedish: gå i sömnen — to walk while sleeping