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Glite Dictionary
to sleep on the idea

to sleep on the idea

4.8
Delay making a decision until after you think about it overnight
  • idiom
translation icon : pensar en la idea
  • - Let's say I'll sleep on the idea.

Examples

  • Before making any commitments, I decided to sleep on the idea and see how I felt in the morning.

  • I came back for it after I'd slept on the idea.

    Blog text (3)

  • She told me to sleep on the idea so I could think about it clearly after a good night's rest.

  • After discussing the project, my manager advised me to sleep on the idea before we made any final decisions.

Synonyms

to think it through
vsto sleep on the idea
  • Informal
105 3.2

To look at all the details and what may happen before you decide

focuses on delaying until after sleeping rather than exhaustive analysis
to mull
vsto sleep on the idea
36 4.7

Think carefully for a long time before making a decision

waits for an overnight interval instead of prolonged contemplation
to sit on
vsto sleep on the idea
34 4.2

Delay making a decision about something while thinking about it

specifically waits until after an overnight interval to decide
to sleep on it
vsto sleep on the idea
26 3.7

To delay making a decision until the next day to think about it

has identical meaning but uses a different idiomatic phrasing
to mull over
vsto sleep on the idea
19 4.0

To think carefully about something before deciding

delays until after an overnight pause rather than long deep thought
to chew on
vsto sleep on the idea
  • Informal
14 3.9

To think carefully about something for a while before deciding

specifically postpones until after an overnight period rather than brief thought
to sit on a decision
vsto sleep on the idea
4.2

Delay making a decision by waiting instead of choosing

delays for the purpose of overnight reflection rather than mere avoidance
to bench this idea
vsto sleep on the idea
  • US
7.6

Delay talking about an idea until later

postpones specifically until after sleeping rather than simply deferring indefinitely
to wait until the dust settles
vsto sleep on the idea
  • Informal
6.0

To delay action or decisions until things become clearer

delays to gain clarity by sleeping rather than waiting for external change

Antonyms

rash decision
7 4.2

A quick choice made without thinking that often causes problems

on-the-spot decision
3.9

A decision made immediately with no planning

How Soon

to wait
∞ 1.0
to sleep on the idea
4.8
to postpone
234 3.4

Surface Forms

sleep on the idea infinitive
sleeping on the idea present participle
sleeps on the idea third person singular
slept on the idea past
slept on the idea past participle

Morphology

sleep + on + the + idea

The literal constituents give a clear clue: 'sleep' implies letting time pass and 'on' links that action to the 'idea', so a learner could plausibly infer that you should postpone dealing with the idea until after sleeping. However, the phrase is a conventionalized idiom (cf. 'sleep on it') and the specific sense 'delay decision until the next day' is metaphorical and conventional rather than fully compositional, so it is not completely predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The phrase sleep on the idea comes from the simple image of putting an idea aside and literally sleep on it overnight so your mind can rest. That's why it means 'to delay deciding until after you have thought about it the next day'.