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to sleep

to sleep

46 4.8
To put a device into a low-power state so it uses less energy
  • verb
  • /sliːp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : suspender
  • Do you remember the TV ad "Sleep well tonight, America, we are watching"?

Examples

  • At least I get a chance to sleep while the machine's on.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • But you do have to sleep at some point.

  • What I want you to do is sleep without your phone.

  • I'm gonna put you to sleep now, Alex, okay?

  • Right now my fondest wish is that he starts sleeping as late as 6.

    Blog text (9)
  • I can click start and sleep, but Win8 makes me dig through the settings.

    Blog text (4)
  • If you don't let the system sleep, battery life decreases tremendously.

  • You should let your laptop sleep after several minutes of inactivity to save battery life.

  • To conserve energy, the TV will automatically sleep after two hours of not being used.

  • Make sure to set your phone to sleep mode when you're not using it to extend its battery life.

Synonyms

to suspend
vsto sleep
141 3.9

To stop something officially for a short time

focuses on saving power while allowing quick restart rather than full stop
to go to sleep
vsto sleep
  • Specialized
73 3.1

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

can occur automatically or be invoked and focuses on quick restart
to put to sleep
vsto sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.4

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

is the general term for reducing power while allowing rapid restart
to fall asleep
vsto sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.0

To go into low-power mode automatically when a device is idle

is about deliberate power reduction that supports fast resuming

Antonyms

1.0

To stop sleeping or make someone else stop sleeping

715 3.6

To make a machine, system, or account start working

Idioms

sleep tight
  • Informal
14 3.4

To wish someone a good night's sleep

11 6.1

To feel no guilt about what you did

to sleep a wink
  • Informal
9 5.7

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

8 5.0

Not sleep at all during the night

in your sleep
  • Informal
6 2.7

Very easily, almost without thinking

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

1 9.9

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

in one's sleep
  • Informal
3.9

Very easy to do without thinking

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

Delay making a decision until after you think about it overnight

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

Phrasal Verbs

652 7.4

To have sex with someone

369 1.0

To stop being awake and rest with your eyes closed

to go to sleep
  • Specialized
73 3.1

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

69 7.4

Have sex with another person, often when not married

to sleep over
  • Informal
63 2.8

To stay at someone else's house for the night

55 3.0

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning

26 6.3

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

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

25 5.8

Kill a sick or very old animal to stop its pain

Share a bed or lie close to each other at night

16 2.4

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning

to put to sleep
  • Baby Talk
15 2.5

Help a child or baby fall asleep in bed

10 8.8

To have sex with many people without a steady partner

to sleep off
  • Informal
5 3.7

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

to sleep in
  • Archaic
5 6.3

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

3 1.0

To go to bed earlier than usual

1 8.1

Stay outside at night without a house or proper shelter

to put to sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.4

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

1 7.6

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

To make someone fall asleep

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

Compounds

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

16 3.4

A sleep thought to make you look more rested and healthy

14 2.8

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

sleep deprivation
  • Offensive
12 5.3

Keeping someone awake on purpose to hurt or control them

sleep disorder
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A health problem that stops a person sleeping normally

REM sleep
  • Specialized
10 4.1

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

sleep apnea
  • Specialized
9 4.1

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

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

1 3.7

A short, shallow sleep you wake up easily from

sleep of the just
  • Literature
1 8.4

A deep peaceful rest after living a good life

deep sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.7

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

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

eternal sleep
  • Literature
8.2

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

3.7

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

NREM sleep
  • Specialized
4.4

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

orthodox sleep
  • Archaic
7.4

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

paradoxical sleep
  • Specialized
6.3

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

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

5.6

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

sleep-learning
  • Specialized
8.6

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

How Deep

to shut down
541 2.9
to hibernate
  • Specialized
1 6.3
to sleep
  • Specialized
46 4.8
idle
57 2.8
to run
2.2

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Sleep used as a verb for devices is a modern use that compares the device to a sleeping person and comes from the old word slǣp for quiet rest. So to 'sleep' a phone means to put it into a low-power rest that can wake up fast.