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shut-eye

shut-eye

16 7.2
A short sleep taken to rest, often at night
  • noun
  • /ˈʃʌtˌaɪ/
  • Informal
translation icon : sueño
  • He turned off the lights and settled in for a few hours of shut-eye.
  • get some shut-eye
  • hours of shut-eye
  • a little shut-eye

Now let me get some shut eye, relax and enjoy the rest of the night.

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Examples

Synonyms

deep sleep
vsshut-eye
14 2.8

A heavy sleep when the body and mind rest and are not aware of surroundings

is a casual word for sleep not limited to the deepest stage
shuteye
vsshut-eye
  • Informal
6 8.5

A short sleep, often during the day or while traveling

is used for informal sleep especially at night
snooze
vsshut-eye
6 1.4

A short light sleep taken during the day, often not in bed

is used for ordinary night rest rather than brief daytime naps

Antonyms

4 4.7

A period when you are not sleeping, often because you cannot fall asleep at night

How Long

to sleep
1.0
overnight
195 1.2
shut-eye
  • Informal
16 7.2
nap
371 1.0
to catnap
1 4.4

Surface Forms

shut-eye singular
shut-eyes plural

Morphology

shut-eye = shut + eye (transparent) = shut + eye

The meaning 'sleep' is directly inferable from the literal idea of 'shutting one's eyes', so a learner who knows 'shut' and 'eye' can deduce the noun.

Etymology

Shut-eye comes from the simple idea of shut + eye, meaning 'to close' your eye to sleep. So, shut-eye is an informal way to say 'sleep' or a short rest.