1. A sleeping partner is a person who contributes capital (money) to a business, and receives a share of the profits, but takes no active part in running the business. BNC
2. He retired formally from Harland & Wolff in 1906, although effectively he had been a sleeping partner for over ten years. BNC
3. He used to be in the board meeting with us, and was referred to as the sleeping partner by the directors! BNC