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Glite Dictionary
in your sleep

in your sleep

6 2.7
Very easily, almost without thinking
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : sin esfuerzo
  • Just a few steps away, you could do this in your sleep.

But if you're doing it in your sleep, then who's to blame there?

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Examples

  • By then, I want you to be able to take that repeater apart, clean it, and put it back together in your sleep.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • And then at some point in your sleep, you would see or think that you saw the red light flashing.

  • And I hate to break it to you, but you cannot just simply listen to things in your sleep and learn those materials.

  • You could do this scene in your sleep.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • But if you're doing it in your sleep, then who's to blame there?

    Theo Von

  • But if you're doing it in your sleep, then who's to blame there?

    Theo Von

  • If you do this long enough, you can do it in your sleep.

  • You could predict the further course of the story in your sleep.

Synonyms

in one's sleep
vsin your sleep
  • Informal
3.9

Very easy to do without thinking

is the same meaning but uses a general pronoun and less casual tone

Antonyms

consciously
89 3.7

On purpose while fully aware of what you are doing

effortfully
5.4

In a way that uses a lot of physical or mental energy

How Easy

effortlessly
30 3.1
in your sleep
  • Informal
6 2.7
easily
∞ 1.0
arduously
1 7.8

Surface Forms

in your sleep positive

Morphology

in + your + sleep

The literal composition 'in' + 'your' + 'sleep' gives 'while you are asleep,' which naturally extends metaphorically to doing something without conscious effort or very easily. Because this is a conventionalized metaphorical extension rather than a fully predictable compositional meaning, a B1 learner who knows the words might infer the sense but may not reliably recognize the idiomatic use, so it is semi-transparent.

Etymology

In your sleep comes from the image of doing a task so easy and natural you could do it while you were sleeping. So, to say you can do something in your sleep means 'very easily' or 'without thinking'.