The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DORMANT
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
D
O
R
M
A
N
T
More clues leading to the result DORMANT
- Comatose affair, head of maths gatecrashing rave
- Sleeping — something not to do around Sandhurst
- Sleeping male is surrounded by insects
- Staff turned on chap that’s primarily asleep
- Sleeping worker found in a side of dustcart?
- Sleeping with party worker Trump oddly ignored earlier
- Inactive matador, man that’s restricted
- Possibly asleep, certainly inactive
- Stepped back, admitting race is suspended
- Sleeping commissionaire overlooks one over entry to theatre
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sleeping" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sleeping = dormant.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DORMANT mean?
DORMANT noun- A crossbeam or joist.
- Inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended.
- In a sleeping posture; distinguished from couchant.
- Leaning.