to hit the pillow
4
3.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
caer en la cama
- He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
- hit the pillow at night
Whereas say my husband Matt, for instance, when his head hits the pillow like he's asleep, that's it.
- Whereas say my husband Matt, for instance, when his head hits the pillow like he's asleep, that's it.
- I smell like a lavender soft dream when I hit the pillow.
- So now you start to worry and the last thing you need to do when your head hits the pillow for good sleep is worry.
- But I know when my head hits the pillow where my blinders are still on and where I need to grow.
- When my head hits the pillow at night, what I want to know is, did I mean well?
- So when your head hits the pillow at night, you have a sense of fulfillment, of meaning, of purpose.
- And, and maybe that answer is uncomfortable, but, you know, deep down when the head hits the pillow, the clarity is there.
- And in some individuals it works extremely well in reassociating your head, hitting the pillow with drifting off to sleep.
Examples
-
No thanks, I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
-
And I definitely fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow!
Blog text (29) -
Each night I was so very happy when my head finally hit the pillow!
Blog text (32) -
We came home late, and I fell into a sound sleep the instant my head hit the pillow.
Fiction book (1992) -
She was out the moment she hit the pillow.
-
Why is it that some nights I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and am out until my alarm goes off, while others are like last night?
Blog text (30) -
I anticipated a dreadful lot of tossing and turning, but once my head hit the pillow, not even the snores around me could keep me awake.
Fiction book (1999) -
I usually drifted into a dreamless sleep the moment my head hit the pillow, and it was normally at an earlier time—9:00 p.m.
Blog text (13) -
After a long day, I can barely keep my eyes open; I always fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
-
After studying late into the night, I was so tired that the moment my head hit the pillow, I was out cold.
Synonyms
485
1.0
To get into bed to sleep
376
1.0
To start sleeping
369
1.0
To stop being awake and rest with your eyes closed
43
2.3
To sleep lightly for a short time without meaning to
35
2.7
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
12
4.1
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
10
6.0
To go to bed to sleep
8
6.0
To go to bed to sleep after a long day
7
2.1
To sleep lightly for a short time, often during the day
5
3.0
To fall asleep for a short time, often without meaning to
4
7.5
To go to bed to sleep
4
4.5
To sleep in a temporary place like a barn or tent
3
3.3
To go to bed slowly because you feel very tired
2
8.3
To fall asleep or pass out very quickly because you are very tired
2
7.9
To fall asleep by accident because you are very tired
1
8.6
To go to bed to sleep
1
7.6
To fall asleep suddenly because you are very tired
To go to bed or sleep
To sleep somewhere for a short time, often on a sofa
Antonyms
How Sleepy
- Informal
7
8.1
376
1.0
- Informal
4
3.7
485
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
hit + the + pillow
The literal image of striking or falling onto a pillow readily evokes going to bed or falling asleep, so a learner who knows 'hit' and 'pillow' can often infer the intended meaning; however the use is conventionalized and metaphorical rather than strictly compositional. Because the sense requires a pragmatic/metaphorical shift (similar to 'hit the sack') it is partially but not fully predictable from the parts, making it only semi-transparent.
Etymology
Hit the pillow paints a clear picture: after a long, tiring day you drop onto your soft pillow, almost as if you 'hit' it with your head. That's why it means 'to go to bed' or 'fall asleep very quickly'.