INDEX:
1. to sleep
2. to sleep for a short time
3. to start sleeping
4. to get into your bed in order to sleep
5. to sleep well and not wake up during the night
6. to sleep badly or be unable to sleep
7. to sleep for longer than usual
8. to sleep in a place where you do not usually sleep
9. to sleep outdoors
10. to make someone go to sleep
11. to not go to bed and not sleep
12. to stop someone sleeping
13. someone who likes to be awake at night
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ TIRED/TIRING
↑ REST
↑ WAKE UP/GET UP
↑ UNCONSCIOUS
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1. to sleep
▷ sleep /sliːp/ [intransitive verb]
▪ Charlotte was sleeping and her mother didn’t want to wake her.
▪ If my snoring is that bad, I’ll go down and sleep on the sofa.
sleep (for) 2 hours/ten minutes etc
▪ I had slept only a few hours, but I had to get up early.
▪ I’m so tired, I could sleep for a week.
▪ Is the baby sleeping all night now?
sleep well/badly
▪ I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I couldn’t concentrate on the exam.
sleeping [adjective only before noun]
▪ I watched the sleeping child, the gentle rise and fall of her breast.
▷ sleep /sliːp/ [singular/uncountable noun]
the time when you are sleeping :
▪ Eight hours’ sleep a night is enough for most people.
▪ Depression can be caused simply by a lack of sleep.
get some/a lot/not much etc sleep
▪ I don’t suppose you got much sleep last night.
in your sleep
while you are sleeping
▪ Katie sometimes talks in her sleep.
▪ Grandad died peacefully in his sleep.
deep sleep
a sleep that is difficult to wake up from
▪ A sudden noise on the street woke Eileen from a deep sleep.
▷ be asleep /biː əˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
to be sleeping :
▪ It was nine o'clock and Nicky was still asleep.
▪ We found mom asleep on the sofa.
▪ Deborah, are you asleep?
be fast/sound asleep
sleeping very well
▪ By the time her father had carried her up to bed, the child was sound asleep.
▪ The baby had been fast asleep ever since we arrived.
be half asleep
nearly asleep
▪ The old man was half asleep and barely able to respond to the policeman’s questions.
▷ get some sleep also catch up on some sleep /ˌget s ə m ˈsliːp, kætʃ ˌʌp ɒn səm ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
to sleep after a period of time when you have not been able to sleep because of illness, worry, work etc :
▪ You must stop worrying and try to get some sleep.
▪ I’ll have to finish the job, but I can catch up on some sleep tomorrow night.
▷ have a kip/get some kip /ˌhæv ə ˈkɪp, ˌget s ə m ˈkɪp/ [verb phrase] British informal
to sleep, especially when you are very tired and you need to sleep :
▪ You can have a kip in the car on the way.
▪ There’s nothing worse than other people around when you’re trying to get some kip.
▷ slumber /ˈslʌmbəʳ/ [singular noun] written
sleep - used especially in literature :
▪ He had fallen into a deep slumber by the fire.
▪ The giants awoke from their enchanted slumber.
slumber [intransitive verb]
▪ Coleridge wrote the line ‘My cradled infant slumbers peacefully’ after the death of his son.
2. to sleep for a short time
▷ have a nap especially British /take a nap especially American /ˌhæv ə ˈnæp, ˌteɪk ə ˈnæp/ [verb phrase]
to sleep for a short time during the day :
▪ I was having a nap by the fire one evening when I was woken up by the doorbell
▪ Try to take a nap in the afternoons if you’re feeling tired.
▪ The director always takes a nap around this time.
nap [countable noun]
▪ A short nap can be enough to make you feel more energetic in the afternoon.
▷ doze /dəʊz/ [intransitive verb]
to sleep lightly for a short time, so that you wake up and go back to sleep again, often while you are sitting in a chair or when you do not intend to :
▪ He left his mother dozing by the fire.
▪ Geoff lay dozing gently in a sunlounger.
doze fitfully
to sleep for very short periods
▪ Some people managed to sleep, but most of us just dozed fitfully.
doze [singular noun]
▪ She lapsed into a doze.
▷ snooze /have/take a snooze /snuːz, ˌhæv, ˌteɪk ə ˈsnuːz/ [intransitive verb]
to sleep for a short time, especially during the day when you do not usually sleep :
▪ The baby was snoozing peacefully in her stroller, so we stopped to have a drink.
▪ The study showed that if pilots on long-haul flights take a brief snooze in the cockpit, they’re more alert for the landing.
▷ grab/snatch some sleep /ˌgræb, ˌsnætʃ s ə m ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase] informal
to sleep for a short time when you have a chance to, because you are very busy and cannot sleep at your usual time :
▪ I’ll go home, snatch a couple of hours’ sleep and meet you at four.
▪ I grabbed a little sleep on the train, but it wasn’t enough.
▷ have a sleep /ˌhæv ə ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase] British
to sleep for a short time during the day because you are tired :
▪ Are you tired? Why don’t you have a sleep this afternoon?
3. to start sleeping
▷ go to sleep /ˌgəʊ tə ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
▪ Are you two going to stop talking and go to sleep?
▪ I looked over at Dave, but he had gone to sleep.
▪ He lay on the sofa and pretended to go to sleep.
go back to sleep
go to sleep again after waking up
▪ If I wake up in the night, it takes me ages to go back to sleep.
▷ fall asleep /ˌfɔːl əˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
to go to sleep - use this especially when you do not intend to, when you go to sleep quickly, or when going to sleep has been difficult :
▪ Dad always falls asleep in front of the TV after Sunday lunch.
▪ Has Monica fallen asleep yet?
▪ I must have fallen asleep with the light on last night.
fall asleep at the wheel
while you are driving
▪ One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
▷ doze off /ˌdəʊz ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to go to sleep when you do not intend to and sleep lightly for a short time :
▪ Sorry, I must have dozed off for a few minutes.
▪ I was just beginning to doze off when the telephone rang.
▷ drop off /ˌdrɒp ˈɒfǁˌdrɑːp-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to go to sleep easily and peacefully :
▪ At around 12.30, she did eventually drop off for an hour or so.
▪ She kept dropping off for a few minutes, before waking with a start.
drop off to sleep
▪ Janir had dropped off to sleep on the living room couch.
▷ nod off /ˌnɒd ˈɒfǁˌnɑːd-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to go to sleep when you are sitting down, especially when you are trying hard to stay awake :
▪ Sarah had almost nodded off when Victor suddenly spoke.
▪ As the speaker droned on, only the occasional nudge from my husband kept me from nodding off.
▷ drift off /ˌdrɪft ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to go to sleep gradually :
▪ He must have drifted off again, for when he awoke, the train had come to a halt.
▪ She was just starting to drift off, when she heard a scream downstairs.
drift off to sleep
▪ That night as he drifted off to sleep, Quincy tried to imagine what the day would have been like if Marta had been there.
▷ be off /biː ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb] British
if someone, especially a baby, is off, they have started sleeping :
▪ Is the baby off yet?
▪ I always wait until he’s off before I turn the light out.
▷ be out like a light /biː ˌaʊt laɪk ə ˈlaɪt/ [verb phrase] informal
to go to sleep very quickly and deeply because you are very tired :
▪ I went back to bed, and was out like a light.
▪ After a day on the ranch, you’ll be out like a light, I can tell you.
▷ crash out/flake out /ˌkræʃ ˈaʊt, ˌfleɪk ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb] informal
to fall asleep very quickly, especially in a place where you do not normally sleep :
▪ ‘Did you get any sleep last night?’ ‘Yeah, I crashed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.’
▪ He’d flaked out on my bed.
4. to get into your bed in order to sleep
▷ go to bed /ˌgəʊ tə ˈbed/ [verb phrase]
▪ Do you want to go to bed, or watch the movie?
▪ Mom, do I have to go to bed right now?
▪ She had planned to go to bed early that night, but a friend stopped by to see her.
go to bed at
▪ I went to bed at nine last night, and I’m still tired.
go straight to bed
go to bed very shortly after doing something else
▪ Marianne took a shower and went straight to bed.
▷ be in bed /biː ɪn ˈbed/ [verb phrase]
to be lying in your bed in order to go to sleep :
▪ Sorry, were you in bed? I thought it might be too late to call you.
▪ I’m usually in bed by 10.30 on weekdays.
▪ You were supposed to be in bed by now!
▷ bedtime /ˈbedtaɪm/ [uncountable noun]
the time when you go to bed in order to sleep :
▪ It’s late -- it must be nearly bedtime.
▪ Lucy, 7.30 is bedtime, you know that.
▪ This medicine should be taken at bedtime and first thing in the morning.
my/your/his etc bedtime
the time when you usually go to bed
▪ Isn’t it your bedtime?
past (your/his etc) bedtime
after the time when you normally go to bed
▪ It’s past my bedtime -- I really must get some sleep.
▷ turn in /ˌtɜːʳn ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb] informal
to go to bed after you have been doing something such as talking with other people or working for a long time :
▪ Come on you guys, it’s time to turn in.
▪ I’m going to have to turn in. I’m not used to these late nights.
▷ hit the sack also hit the hay /ˌhɪt ðə ˈsæk, ˌhɪt ðə ˈheɪ/ [verb phrase] informal
to go to bed when it is very late or you are very tired :
▪ Usually I come home, eat dinner, watch a little TV, and then hit the sack by 9:30 or 10:00.
▪ I’m bushed. I think I’ll hit the hay.
▷ retire /rɪˈtaɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb] formal or written
to go to bed :
▪ The captain retired at ten o'clock with a glass of whisky.
retire to bed
▪ Mary Ellen always had to set the fire for the next morning before retiring to bed.
5. to sleep well and not wake up during the night
▷ sleep well/soundly /ˌsliːp ˈwel, ˈsaʊndli/ [verb phrase]
to sleep without waking up, until the time when you are ready to wake up :
▪ ‘Did the storm keep you awake?’ ‘No, I slept very well.’
▪ I don’t want you to worry. Sleep well.
▪ The day had been long and difficult, but Gita slept soundly until morning.
▷ have/get a good night’s sleep /hæv, get ə ˌgʊd naɪts ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
to sleep well for a whole night and get a good rest so that you do not feel tired in the morning :
▪ After getting a good night’s sleep, Pedro awoke refreshed and full of energy.
▪ Unfortunately, fatigue cannot be cured just by having a good night’s sleep.
▪ I think we both need a good night’s sleep. I’m too tired to talk about it now.
▷ have a good sleep /hæv ə ˌgʊd ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase] informal
to sleep very well :
▪ You’ll feel better after you’ve had a good sleep.
▪ We both had a good sleep on the plane, so the jetlag wasn’t too bad for either of us.
▷ sleep like a log /ˌsliːp laɪk ə ˈlɒgǁ-ˈlɔːg/ [verb phrase]
to sleep very well and not wake up during the night, even if there is noise :
▪ Cara slept like a log right through the storm.
▪ It was deathly quiet, and I slept like a log all night.
▷ sleep through /ˈsliːp θruː/ [transitive verb]
to stay asleep while something noisy is happening around you :
▪ His prison cellmate had slept through the tragedy.
▪ Can you imagine paying all that money to see an opera, and then sleeping through the whole thing?
▪ I sometimes think Dave could sleep through a world war.
▷ be a heavy/good/sound sleeper /biː ə ˌhevi, ˌgʊd, ˌsaʊnd ˈsliːpəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to always sleep very deeply and not wake up easily, even if there is a lot of noise :
▪ The traffic won’t bother me -- I’m a heavy sleeper.
▪ Normally, she was a good sleeper, but that night she lay awake, tossing and turning.
▷ be dead to the world /biː ˌded tə ðə ˈwɜːʳld/ [verb phrase] informal
to be sleeping so deeply that it is very difficult to wake you :
▪ I’m sorry I didn’t hear the phone -- I must have been dead to the world this morning.
6. to sleep badly or be unable to sleep
▷ sleep badly/not sleep well /ˌsliːp ˈbædli, nɒt sliːp ˈwel/ [verb phrase]
to wake up often during the night, and not feel rested or comfortable :
▪ I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep very well last night and it’s put me in a bad mood.
▪ They slept badly on the hard bamboo floor.
▷ can’t get to sleep /ˌkɑːnt get tə ˈsliːpǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase]
to be unable to go to sleep especially because of noise, worries, pain etc :
▪ If you can’t get to sleep, don’t get up or have a meal or snack; relax and read quietly instead.
▪ I just couldn’t get to sleep, what with all the traffic and people in the street.
▷ not get much sleep /nɒt ˌget mʌtʃ ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
to sleep badly and only for short periods, especially because of noise, worries, pain etc :
▪ The people next door are having a party, so we probably won’t get much sleep tonight.
▪ She cried all last night and I didn’t get much sleep either.
▷ be a light sleeper /biː ə ˌlaɪt ˈsliːpəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to be someone who is easily woken when there is any movement or noise :
▪ I’m a light sleeper - so I woke up as soon as I heard him come in.
▪ I just hope your dad isn’t a light sleeper.
▷ not sleep a wink /nɒt ˌsliːp ə ˈwɪŋk/ [verb phrase] informal
to not sleep at all during the night, especially because you are worried, angry, upset etc :
▪ I was so worried, I didn’t sleep a wink last night.
hardly/barely sleep a wink
▪ He had hardly slept a wink all night, beside himself with jealousy and anger.
▷ lie awake /ˌlaɪ əˈweɪk/ [verb phrase]
to be in bed unable to sleep, especially because you are worried or excited about something :
▪ I used to lie awake at night wondering what had happened to her.
▪ I lay awake the whole night after I read the letter, thinking about what it could mean.
▪ We’d lie awake, listening to our parents arguing in the room below.
▷ toss and turn /ˌtɒs ən ˈtɜːʳnǁˌtɔːs-/ [verb phrase]
to keep changing your position in bed because you are unable to sleep and do not feel comfortable :
▪ She had slept badly, tossing and turning before falling into a fitful doze.
▪ Do you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, or do you toss and turn for hours before dropping off?
▷ sleepless night /ˌsliːpləs ˈnaɪt/ [countable noun]
a night when you cannot sleep at all :
▪ After a sleepless night, she looked almost as pale and exhausted as Elinor.
give somebody a sleepless night
make someone worry so much that they cannot sleep
▪ He’s given us a few sleepless nights over the years, but we love him.
spend a sleepless night
▪ Tom had spent a sleepless night on the sofa.
▷ restless night /ˌrestləs ˈnaɪt/ [countable noun]
a night during which you sleep badly, keep changing your position in bed, and wake up often :
▪ Another restless night followed, but she determinedly settled down to work again the next morning.
▪ I’d had quite a restless night, and breakfast didn’t look appetizing.
▷ insomnia /ɪnˈsɒmniəǁɪnˈsɑːm-/ [uncountable noun]
the inability to sleep at night :
▪ Working outdoors all day certainly did wonders for my insomnia.
▪ a cure for insomnia
suffer from insomnia
▪ He suffered from insomnia and was taking sleeping pills each night.
chronic insomnia
when this happens to you a lot over a long period of time
▪ My mother was alarmed by my fits of weeping and chronic insomnia.
insomniac /ɪnˈsɒmniækǁɪnˈsɑːm-/ [countable noun]
someone who does not sleep well: :
▪ I’m an incurable insomniac so I get a lot of my work done while the world sleeps.
▷ sleeplessness /ˈsliːpləsnɪs, ˈsliːpləsnəs/ [uncountable noun]
an inability to sleep that continues for several nights or more :
▪ His eyes were still red-rimmed from tears and sleeplessness.
▪ Sleeplessness and loss of appetite are common signs of stress.
7. to sleep for longer than usual
▷ sleep in also lie in/have a lie-in British /ˌsliːp ˈɪn, ˌlaɪ ˈɪn, hæv ə ˈlaɪ ɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to deliberately sleep until a later time than usual, and get up late :
▪ Where are Diane and Mike? Sleeping in again, huh?
▪ There’s not much chance of a lie-in when you’ve got three kids.
▪ We had a lie-in and breakfast in bed.
▷ sleep off /ˌsliːp ɪt ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to sleep for a long time, in order to stop feeling the effects of alcohol, drugs etc :
sleep something off
▪ In the end I decided the best thing was to put you to bed and let you sleep it off.
sleep off something
▪ Martin’s still in bed, sleeping off his hangover.
▪ He was taken to the local hospital and kept in overnight to sleep off the effects of the drug.
8. to sleep in a place where you do not usually sleep
▷ sleep over /ˌsliːp ˈəʊvəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to sleep for one night at someone else’s house :
▪ Are your friends sleeping over tonight?
sleep over at
▪ Is it okay if I sleep over at Sam’s house tomorrow night?
▷ crash also crash out /kræʃ, ˌkræʃ ˈaʊt/ [intransitive verb/intransitive phrasal verb] informal
to sleep the night in a place you do not normally sleep, for example at a friend’s house or on the floor of someone’s room :
▪ You can crash out at my place if you like.
▪ Would you mind if I crashed on your couch?
▷ doss /dɒsǁdɑːs/ British informal [intransitive verb]
to sleep in a place where you do not usually sleep, especially not on a proper bed :
▪ The party finished late, so I just dossed on the floor at Adele’s.
doss down
▪ You can stay here, if you don’t mind dossing down on the floor.
9. to sleep outdoors
▷ sleep out /ˌsliːp ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ What I like most about camping is sleeping out.
▪ Over 100 people will be sleeping out in Glasgow tonight to highlight the plight of the homeless.
▪ Bring a sleeping bag with you, because we’re going to sleep out and walk back tomorrow.
▷ sleep rough /ˌsliːp ˈrʌf/ [verb phrase] British
to sleep outside or in an empty building because you have no home or nowhere to stay :
▪ Hundreds of homeless people have to sleep rough every night in London.
▪ The number of teenagers sleeping rough on the streets is on the increase.
▪ I was forced to sleep rough that night in a disused warehouse.
10. to make someone go to sleep
▷ put/send somebody to sleep /ˌpʊt, ˌsend somebody tə ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase]
if something such as music or a warm drink sends you to sleep, it relaxes you so much that you go to sleep easily :
▪ Certain types of music always send me to sleep.
▪ ‘Drink this,’ mother said, ‘It’ll send you to sleep.’
▪ The sound of her rhythmic breathing finally put me to sleep, and we both slept until the sun rose.
▷ get somebody off to sleep /ˌget somebody ɒf tə ˈsliːp/ [verb phrase] especially British
to make a baby or a young child go to sleep, for example by singing to them or reading them a story :
▪ It’s sometimes very difficult to get my young son off to sleep when he’s excited.
▪ She cried for a while but I finally got her off to sleep.
▷ put somebody to bed /ˌpʊt somebody tə ˈbed/ [verb phrase]
to get a baby or young child ready for the night and put them in their beds so that they will sleep :
▪ Usually, I put the kids to bed at about 8:00.
▪ In those days, many children were put to bed before dark in the summer months.
11. to not go to bed and not sleep
▷ stay up /ˌsteɪ ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to not go to bed at the usual time or when other people do, but to stay awake and do things :
▪ You guys go ahead and go to bed. I think I’ll stay up for a while.
▪ Kate stayed up all night by his bedside.
▪ Didn’t you even stay up on election night?
▪ We went to bed, but Julie and Kate stayed up talking and playing cards.
stay up till the small/wee hours
keep awake until very late or nearly morning
▪ That night Carl stayed up into the small hours, preparing work for the next day.
▷ wait up /ˌweɪt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to keep awake and not go to bed at the usual time because you are waiting for someone to come home :
▪ Julie’s parents waited up all night but she never came home.
▪ I’ll be home late tonight, so don’t wait up.
wait up for
▪ I should go - Marie will be waiting up for me.
▷ awake /əˈweɪk/ [adjective not before noun]
not sleeping :
▪ John, are you awake? I think I heard someone downstairs.
▪ When she returned to the bedroom, Jamie was awake.
wide awake
awake and not tired at all
▪ I was still wide awake at 2:00 a.m. when Jody came home.
half awake
only partly awake
▪ Gretchen wandered into the kitchen, only half awake and looking for coffee.
stay awake
▪ Ellen was determined to stay awake, despite the late hour.
awake [adverb]
▪ I was jolted awake by a blaring car horn outside.
▪ The next morning, Benjamin shook me awake.
12. to stop someone sleeping
▷ keep somebody awake /ˌkiːp somebody əˈweɪk/ [verb phrase]
▪ Molly kept Paula awake all night talking.
▪ Angry neighbours say they are regularly kept awake by guests leaving the hotel late at night.
▪ These terrifying thoughts sometimes kept me awake for hours.
▷ keep somebody up /ˌkiːp somebody ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to prevent someone from going to bed or from going to sleep when they want to go to sleep :
▪ Arnold would keep us all up with his long, rambling stories.
▪ I’m often kept up by the noise of laughter and music from next door.
13. someone who likes to be awake at night
▷ night owl /ˈnaɪt aʊl/ [countable noun]
someone who enjoys being awake or working late at night :
▪ I’ve become a bit of a night owl since I started living alone.