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to sleep

to sleep

∞ 1.0
To rest with eyes closed and not be awake
  • verb
  • /sliːp/
: dormir
  • She found it hard to sleep in a noisy environment.
  • sleep at night
  • go to sleep
  • sleep in bed

But I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, right?

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Examples

  • I haven't slept in a week, but he sleeps constantly.

  • Daniel, did you sleep in here?

  • But this patient just did not sleep for four hours.

  • So when I sleep, I sleep on my back.

  • - Is it okay if I sleep in your room tonight?

  • Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep.

  • I was just not sleeping well.

  • For the first time since her mother's death, she slept peacefully with her eyes closed.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Rie would wait until her parents had gone to sleep, then rendezvous with him in a nearby park.

    Academic text (2013)
  • After a long day, I usually sleep for eight hours to recharge my energy.

Synonyms

to slumber
vsto sleep
16 3.8

To sleep lightly or peacefully

refers to deeper unconscious rest that restores the body
to catch some Z's
vsto sleep
  • Informal
1 7.9

To sleep to get some rest

refers to longer usual night rest rather than short naps
to kip
vsto sleep
  • UK
1 8.1

To sleep for a short time, often on a sofa

usually refers to the main nightly rest that restores strength
to log Z's
vsto sleep
  • Slang
9.7

To sleep, often for a short time

is used for night rest with full body recovery

Antonyms

591 1.0

Not sleeping and able to think clearly

Idioms

in your sleep
  • Informal
29 2.7

Very easily, almost without thinking

sleep tight
  • Informal
25 3.4

To wish someone a good night's sleep

22 6.1

To feel no guilt about what you did

to sleep a wink
  • Informal
11 5.7

To get any sleep, usually said when someone did not sleep

Stay half awake and watch for danger while you sleep because you are afraid

6 9.9

To be killed and thrown into water by criminals, often said as a joke

To die peacefully, people say this as a gentle way to talk about someone's death

Accept a belief or excuse that makes someone feel better, even if it is not true

1 5.0

Not sleep at all during the night

Delay making a decision until after you think about it overnight

in one's sleep
  • Informal
1 3.9

Very easy to do without thinking

Phrasal Verbs

∞ 7.4

To have sex with someone

456 1.0

To stop being awake and rest with your eyes closed

90 7.4

Have sex with another person, often when not married

62 3.0

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning

62 6.3

Cause a person or animal to become unconscious, often using medicine

to sleep over
  • Informal
57 2.8

To stay at someone else's house for the night

to sleep off
  • Informal
38 3.7

To get better from a hangover, headache, or cold by sleeping

Share a bed or lie close to each other at night

to put to sleep
  • Baby Talk
26 2.5

Help a child or baby fall asleep in bed

26 2.4

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning

To delay making a decision until the next day to think about it

24 8.8

To have sex with many people without a steady partner

6 1.0

To go to bed earlier than usual

3 5.8

Kill a sick or very old animal to stop its pain

2 7.6

A person who works in a home but goes home each evening

to sleep in
  • Archaic
2 6.3

To sleep at the house where you work, for example as a nanny

1 8.1

Stay outside at night without a house or proper shelter

To change someone's usual sleep times so they cannot sleep well

to go to sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.1

To enter a low-power state that pauses activity to save energy

to put to sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.4

Make an electronic device use little power so it can start again quickly

To make someone fall asleep

Compounds

A night of sleep that makes you feel rested and ready for the day

sleep deprivation
  • Offensive
28 5.3

Keeping someone awake on purpose to hurt or control them

25 2.8

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

sleep apnea
  • Specialized
17 4.1

Breathing stops for short times during sleep, causing poor sleep and health risks

17 3.4

A sleep thought to make you look more rested and healthy

sleep disorder
  • Specialized
16 3.5

A health problem that stops a person sleeping normally

REM sleep
  • Specialized
13 4.1

A stage of sleep with fast eye movement, clear dreams, and high brain activity

eternal sleep
  • Literature
2 8.2

A gentle way to talk about death as a peaceful, long sleep

1 3.7

A short, shallow sleep you wake up easily from

Saying words out loud while you are not awake and without knowing it

1 3.7

A sleep stage when the eyes move quickly and most dreaming happens

twilight sleep
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A state when medicine makes a person partly awake during childbirth

sleep of the just
  • Literature
1 8.4

A deep peaceful rest after living a good life

sleep-learning
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A way of learning things while you sleep by listening to recordings

NREM sleep
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A stage of sleep without fast eye movements when you usually do not dream

1 5.6

An organized event where people stay overnight to protest and ask for change

deep sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A low power state when a device turns off most parts but can wake quickly

paradoxical sleep
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A part of sleep when the eyes move quickly and dreams feel real

1 3.7

A part of sleep without fast eye movements or dreams when the body repairs itself

orthodox sleep
  • Archaic
7.4

A stage of sleep without quick eye movements or dreaming when the body repairs itself

sleep dep
  • Informal
9.7

A state of not having enough sleep that makes you very tired

sleep divorce
  • Literature
7.5

A plan where a couple sleeps in separate beds or rooms because they have different sleep habits

sleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
9.2

A sleep problem where someone wakes from deep sleep with intense fear and often screams, usually without memory

How Deep

to sleep
∞ 1.0
to slumber
16 3.8
nap
360 1.0
to doze
48 2.3

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Sleep as a verb comes from the old German verb slǣpan, which meant 'to rest with closed eyes'. So to sleep still means to stop being awake and let your body recover.