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Glite Dictionary
to flake out

to flake out

1 7.6
To fall asleep suddenly because you are very tired
  • phrasal verb
  • /fleɪk aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : quedarse dormido
  • After studying all night, I finally flaked out on the couch.

Examples

Synonyms

to fall asleep
vsto flake out
376 1.0

To start sleeping

highlights sudden, often unplanned onset rather than any sleep start
to doze
vsto flake out
43 2.3

To sleep lightly for a short time without meaning to

is typically quicker and caused by tiredness rather than light rest
to doze off
vsto flake out
  • Informal
35 2.7

To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to

leans more toward suddenness and quick onset
to drift off
vsto flake out
23 3.8

To slowly fall asleep without meaning to

is often more sudden rather than a slow slipping away
to nod off
vsto flake out
  • Informal
12 4.1

To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to

is often sudden rather than only short and unintended
out like a light
vsto flake out
  • Informal
7 7.3

To fall asleep or become unconscious very quickly

can be sudden but often from ordinary tiredness
to conk out
vsto flake out
  • Informal
7 8.1

To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness

focuses only on sudden sleep due to tiredness not failure
to snooze
vsto flake out
7 2.1

To sleep lightly for a short time, often during the day

is more sudden and often unplanned due to tiredness
to drop off
vsto flake out
  • Informal
5 3.0

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

emphasizes a faster, more immediate collapse into sleep
to sack out
vsto flake out
  • Informal
4 7.5

To go to bed to sleep

may be sudden and unplanned, not just a bedtime action
to hit the pillow
vsto flake out
  • Informal
4 3.7

To go to bed and fall asleep quickly because you are tired

is often sudden and can happen anywhere, not just bedtime
to zonk out
vsto flake out
  • Informal
2 8.3

To fall asleep or pass out very quickly because you are very tired

is similar but not always from extreme exhaustion
to nod out
vsto flake out
  • Informal
2 7.9

To fall asleep by accident because you are very tired

stresses suddenness more than slow, gradual onset
to catch a wink
vsto flake out
1 5.5

To sleep for a short time, often during the day

is usually sudden and not planned as a short rest
to drowse off
vsto flake out
5.5

To begin to fall asleep without meaning to

is quicker and usually comes on suddenly
to fall in the sack
vsto flake out
  • Informal
8.8

To go to bed or sleep

can happen suddenly anytime, not only when going to bed

Antonyms

to stay up
  • Informal
253 2.4

To be awake later than usual

How Quickly

to conk out
  • Informal
7 8.1
to flake out
  • Informal
1 7.6
to nod off
  • Informal
12 4.1
to drift off
23 3.8

Surface Forms

flake out infinitive
flaked out past
flaked out past participle
flaking out present participle
flakes out third person singular

Morphology

flake + out

The particle 'out' conveys loss of consciousness/asleep and gives a clue to the meaning, but the verb 'flake' (commonly 'to cancel' or 'be unreliable') does not literally mean sleep, and the combination is informal/slang. Because part of the sense (becoming unconscious/asleep) is signalled by 'out' but the full sense is not predictably built from the constituents, a B1 learner would need some exposure to be confident.

Etymology

The phrasal verb flake out may come from the image of a light flake suddenly falling to the ground. One popular story says people thought of that quick drop as like a person who suddenly falls asleep, so flake out means 'to fall asleep', especially when very tired.