Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to sleep a wink

to sleep a wink

9 5.7
To get any sleep, usually said when someone did not sleep
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : dormir un ojo
  • I didn't sleep a wink last night.
  • I hardly slept a wink
  • I barely slept a wink
  • slept a wink last

He said didn't sleep a wink, not a drop in me.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • He didn't sleep a wink last night.

    Summer Stock (1950)

  • " I cannot sleep a wink!

    Fiction book (1998)

  • We'll never sleep a wink here.

    The Pirate (1948)

  • You really didn't sleep a wink, did you?

    TransSiberian (2008)

  • I couldn't sleep a wink last night.

    Here Comes the Boom (2012)

  • We got in last night; we couldn't sleep a wink.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • And I don't think I slept a wink that night.

  • Did I mention we hadn't slept a wink in days?

    Red Lights (2012)

  • I don't think he slept a wink last night; you were so much on his mind.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I didn't sleep a wink last night because of the loud music.

Synonyms

to doze
vsto sleep a wink
43 2.3

To sleep lightly for a short time without meaning to

refers to getting no rest at all rather than brief unplanned rest
to lie awake
vsto sleep a wink
22 3.7

To stay in bed and not be able to sleep

focuses on having no rest at all rather than being awake in bed
to slumber
vsto sleep a wink
15 3.8

To sleep lightly or peacefully

emphasizes no rest at all rather than calm peaceful rest
to nod off
vsto sleep a wink
  • Informal
12 4.1

To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to

describes no rest at all rather than unintentionally falling into rest
to not sleep a wink
vsto sleep a wink
  • Informal
8 5.0

Not sleep at all during the night

is the negative form used to stress getting no rest at all
to snooze
vsto sleep a wink
7 2.1

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

means zero rest rather than a light daytime rest
to catch some Z's
vsto sleep a wink
  • Informal
2 7.9

To sleep to get some rest

refers to having no rest at all rather than obtaining brief rest
to drowse
vsto sleep a wink
2 6.1

To be half asleep for a short time

means having no rest at all rather than a shallow partial rest
to catch a wink
vsto sleep a wink
1 5.5

To sleep for a short time, often during the day

means not getting any rest at all rather than a short nap
to flake out
vsto sleep a wink
  • Informal
1 7.6

To fall asleep suddenly because you are very tired

means not getting any rest at all rather than suddenly falling into rest

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

sleep + a + wink

The parts are partly compositional: 'sleep' + 'wink' (a very short time) suggests sleeping for a very short period, so a learner who knows the words can form a plausible interpretation. However, the idiomatic use—especially in the negative ('didn't sleep a wink')—means 'not sleep at all', which is not fully predictable from the constituents, so it can mislead B1 learners and requires some exposure.

Etymology

Sleep a wink comes from the old use of wink to mean a quick blink or a very short rest, so people pictured sleep as something tiny like a 'wink'. So, saying you didn't sleep a wink means you did not get 'any sleep at all'.