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Glite Dictionary
to drift off

to drift off

23 3.8
To slowly fall asleep without meaning to
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɪft ɔf/
translation icon : dormirse
  • Almost immediately she began to doze, drifting off into a deep sleep.
  • drift off to sleep

That rumination can often happen just as you're about to drift off to sleep.

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Examples

  • After a long day at work, I like to read a book until I slowly drift off to sleep.

  • After a whole day of dealing with life, laying in my comfy bed and drifting off to sleep is just sublime.

  • You just drift off to sleep.

    Behemoth (2011)

  • I let my own head drop back, let my eyes drift off without focus.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Knowing that the boys were in home late, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • But I came awake at three A.M. and could not drift off again.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • As soon as she heard him settle into the chair, Nancy would drift off into a solid sleep.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • As Alan drifts off to sleep, he cannot for a moment remember his own name.

    You Are Here (2011)

  • "I have a really good mum and dad," she told Ted before drifting off to sleep.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Only then does Moana drift off to sleep, pressed to his new friend.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

to fall asleep
vsto drift off
376 1.0

To start sleeping

is specifically gradual and often unintentional rather than neutral start
to doze off
vsto drift off
  • Informal
35 2.7

To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to

is more gradual and not limited to brief naps
to nod off
vsto drift off
  • Informal
12 4.1

To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to

is slower and more gradual than these quick sleeps
to drop off
vsto drift off
  • Informal
5 3.0

To fall asleep for a short time, often without meaning to

is slower and more gradual rather than brief or momentary sleep
to nod out
vsto drift off
  • Informal
2 7.9

To fall asleep by accident because you are very tired

is more about gradual sleep without necessarily being exhausted
to drowse off
vsto drift off
5.5

To begin to fall asleep without meaning to

is the gradual unintended falling asleep, not a brief nap

Antonyms

to stay up
  • Informal
253 2.4

To be awake later than usual

How Sleepy

deep sleep
14 2.8
to fall asleep
376 1.0
to drift off
23 3.8
to doze off
  • Informal
35 2.7

Surface Forms

drift off infinitive
drifted off past
drifted off past participle
drifting off present participle
drifts off third person singular

Morphology

drift + off

The components 'drift' (to float or wander slowly) and 'off' (away) transparently suggest a gradual movement away, and the sleep sense is a common metaphorical extension — to 'drift away' into sleep — that many learners can infer from context. However, the specific interpretation 'fall gradually asleep' is a metaphorical shift from literal motion and may not be fully predictable to all B1 learners without prior exposure, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Drift off comes from the picture of a small boat that drifts slowly off into the distance. That slow, gentle movement is like a person slowly moving away from being awake, so drift off means 'to gradually fall asleep'.