Meanings
plural sleeping cars · alternative sleeper car
- rail transportA railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Today, the 'Night Riviera' is one of only two sleeping car services that survive in the UK.
2024 September 4, David Clough, “All aboard the 'Night Riviera' to Penzance”, in RAIL, number 1017, page 582 more examples
In August 1859, eighty years ago, a sleeping car appeared on the Chicago & Alton Railroad of the United States, a great advance on the primitive facilities previously available.
1939 November, “Pertinent Paragraphs: The Sleeping Car”, in Railway Magazine, page 360'They'd be melted down into gold bars and channelled straight into the black bullion market. Have to sacrifice the rarity value of the coins, but the gold would go straight underground. As it is, someone's using the negroes - porters, sleeping-car attendants, truck-drivers - and getting the money well spread over the States.'
1954, Ian Fleming, “Interview with M”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 15
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna passenger car that has berths for sleeping
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Bulgarian спален вагон
- спален вагон (spalen vagon)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Chinese Mandarin 臥舖車 /卧铺车
- 臥舖車 /卧铺车 (wòpùchē)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Czech lůžkový vůz
- lůžkový vůza railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Danish sovevogn
- sovevogna railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Dutch slaapwagen
- slaapwagena railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Estonian magamisvagun
- magamisvaguna railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Finnish makuuvaunu
- makuuvaunua railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
French wagon-couchette, wagon-lit
- wagon-couchettea railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
- wagon-lita railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
German Schlafwagen
- Schlafwagena railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Hindi शयनयान
- शयनयान (shayanyaan)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Hungarian hálókocsi
- hálókocsia railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Icelandic svefnvagn
- svefnvagna railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Irish cóiste codlata
- cóiste codlataa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Italian vagone letto
- vagone lettoa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Japanese 寝台車
- 寝台車 (shindaisha)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Korean 침대차
- 침대차 (chimdaecha)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Norwegian Bokmål sovevogn
- sovevogna railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Polish wagon sypialny
- wagon sypialnya railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Portuguese vagão-leito
- vagão-leitoa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Romanian vagon de dormit
- vagon de dormita railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Russian спа́льный ваго́н
- спа́льный ваго́н (spálʹnyj vagón)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Spanish vagón litera, coche cama
- vagón literaa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
- coche camaa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
- coche dormitorioa railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Swedish sovvagn
- sovvagna railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Ukrainian спа́льний ваго́н
- спа́льний ваго́н (spálʹnyj vahón)a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.
Cite this entry
sleeping car. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleeping%20car
“sleeping car.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleeping%20car. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sleeping car,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleeping%20car.
Source: sleeping car on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.