to fall asleep
376
1.0
- phrasal verb
- /fɔl əˈslip/
:
dormirse
- After a long day, I like to read a book until I fall asleep.
- fall asleep at night
- difficulty falling asleep
- trouble falling asleep
Did that make that process just before you fall asleep quite unpleasant?
- Did that make that process just before you fall asleep quite unpleasant?
- And that's why kids are crashing and falling asleep in class.
- And I know I fell asleep because I did that jerk thing.
- And then she got no replies, got on the plane, fell asleep, and then woke up.
- And the, the deer fell asleep on a game trail.
- Certainly THC helps you fall asleep faster, very clear in the data.
- So generally, like I fell asleep so early the other night.
- Got to my mum's, got in the bed, fell asleep, slept through the alarm.
- You can stay up later, but falling asleep earlier is harder.
Examples
-
Dad collapses into bed and falls asleep immediately, a skill he developed as a soldier.
Academic text (2011) -
OK, who is most likely to fall asleep first?
-
Can you just hold me until I fall asleep, please?
-
When they find it difficult to fall asleep, they get up and walk around in the dark.
Academic text (2003) -
You fell asleep on my shoulder.
-
That's one way to fall asleep.
-
When some children can't fall asleep, they count sheep.
-
I don't want to fall asleep because I'll miss you, babe.
-
She always listens to calming music to help her fall asleep at night.
-
When I feel tired, I often fall asleep within minutes of lying down.
Synonyms
369
1.0
To stop being awake and rest with your eyes closed
43
2.3
To sleep lightly for a short time without meaning to
35
2.7
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
23
3.8
To slowly fall asleep without meaning to
15
3.8
To sleep lightly or peacefully
12
4.1
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
10
6.0
To go to bed to sleep
5
3.0
To fall asleep for a short time, often without meaning to
4
3.7
To go to bed and fall asleep quickly because you are tired
2
7.9
To fall asleep by accident because you are very tired
2
6.1
To be half asleep for a short time
1
7.6
To fall asleep suddenly because you are very tired
To go to bed or sleep
To begin to fall asleep without meaning to
Antonyms
How Sleepy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'fall' (to go into) combined with 'asleep' (in a state of sleep) yields 'become asleep/enter a sleep state', so learners who know both words can infer the sense. The pattern verb + state adjective meaning 'become X' is common cross-linguistically and the metaphorical extension to devices ('enter a low-power sleep state') remains transparent.
Etymology
Fall asleep uses fall as a picture: you 'drop' into the state of asleep, like your body sinking into a soft bed. That's why it means 'to begin to sleep'.