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to sleep together

to sleep together

90 7.4
Have sex with another person, often when not married
  • phrasal verb
  • /sliːp təˈɡɛðər/
  • NSFW
: acostarse con
  • You and I just slept together.
  • friends sleep together
  • guys sleep together
  • first slept together

Brian was spent spreading these lies about us having slept together and that I was obsessed with him.

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Examples

  • Not long into their courtship, Chinyere and Ike began sleeping together.

    Academic text (2001)
  • I like her a lot, but sometimes I think it was a mistake to start sleeping together.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Every time we sleep together, I wake up in the morning alone.

  • Could you please not mention anything about us sleeping together?

  • This is the price you pay for sleeping together.

  • How many times have we slept together?

  • Jay and Debbie have been sleeping together off and on for about a year.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The dancer and I have been friends for months now, and recently we've started sleeping together.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Damn it, Conor thinks, they're lovers; they've been sleeping together and he didn't tell me.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • After a romantic dinner, they decided to sleep together for the first time.

Synonyms

to have sex
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
∞ 3.0

To touch each other's private parts for physical pleasure

is a milder euphemism often used when partners are not married
to fuck
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
∞ 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a polite euphemism usually chosen instead of aggressive vulgarity
to sleep with
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
∞ 7.4

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism often used when partners are not married
to make love
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
388 5.3

Have sex with someone you love or care about

is a neutral euphemism often used without implying emotional affection
to get laid
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
203 9.9

To have sex with someone, usually in a short, casual way

is a milder euphemism used even when marital or social propriety matters
to bang
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
144 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism used where politeness or formality matters
to screw
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
112 9.9

To have sex with someone, said as a rude word

is a softer euphemism chosen in polite company rather than vulgar speech
to bed
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
88 9.0

To have sex with someone

is a gentler euphemism often used when partners are not married
to hump
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
60 9.9

To have sex with someone, used as a rude word

is a milder euphemism emphasizing social politeness instead of crudeness
to do it
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
52 9.8

To have sex with someone

is a softer euphemism chosen in polite contexts rather than blunt phrasing
to have intercourse
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
45 8.1

To have sex with someone

is a softer everyday euphemism compared with formal clinical wording
to lie with
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
43 9.1

To have sex with someone

is a milder everyday euphemism rather than formal legal wording
to be intimate
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
41 7.9

Have sex with someone

is often used to refer to sexual activity when partners are not married
to get it on
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
34 9.3

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism that lacks the energetic explicit tone
to love
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
24 8.6

To have sex with another person

is a neutral euphemism often used when partners are not married
to roll in the hay
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
2 9.2

To have sex briefly in a casual way

is a milder euphemism that does not stress playfulness or casualness
to bonk
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder expression chosen where jocular or blunt terms are unsuitable
to eff
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism often used when partners are not married
to have it off
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
1 9.9

To have sex with someone, used in informal British English

is a milder expression often preferred where politeness is required
to have a go at it
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder expression often used when partners are not married
to know
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder modern euphemism rather than an archaic literary phrase
to jazz
vsto sleep together
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism usually used in polite contexts rather than slang
to have it away
vsto sleep together
  • NSFW
9.9

To have sex with someone

is a milder euphemism often used when marriage or propriety matters

Antonyms

40 6.8

Not having sex often for religious or personal reasons

33 6.1

Close and caring without sexual or romantic feelings

How Intimate

to make love
  • NSFW
388 5.3
to sleep together
  • NSFW
90 7.4
to hook up
  • NSFW
283 8.7

Surface Forms

sleep together infinitive
slept together past participle
sleeping together present participle
sleeps together third person singular

Morphology

sleep + together

The meaning 'to share a bed or sleep in the same space' is directly compositional from 'sleep' (to rest) + 'together' (in the same place/group), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer this meaning. While the phrase can sometimes carry a sexual implicature in certain contexts, its basic, literal sense is transparent and parallels similar constructions in many other languages.

Etymology

Sleep together became a polite way to say two people 'have sex'. One popular idea is the simple image of people lying in the same bed, so using sleep as a softer word made the phrase a friendly or indirect way to talk about sex.