a ‧ sleep S2 /əˈsliːp/ BrE AmE adjective [not before noun]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ sleep , ↑ sleeper , ↑ sleepiness , ↑ sleeplessness ; adjective : ↑ asleep , ↑ sleepless , ↑ sleepy ; adverb : ↑ sleepily , ↑ sleeplessly ; verb : ↑ sleep ]
1 . sleeping OPP awake :
Quiet! The baby’s asleep.
fast/sound asleep (=sleeping deeply)
2 . fall asleep
a) to begin to sleep:
Grandad fell asleep watching TV.
One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving) .
b) literary used to mean that someone dies, when you want to avoid saying this directly
3 . half asleep very tired or not completely awake:
Still half asleep, Jenny began to make the kids’ breakfast.
4 . an arm or leg that is asleep has been in one position for too long, so you cannot feel it properly
5 . asleep at the wheel/switch not paying attention to a situation, so that something bad happens:
Several publishers were asleep at the switch, and missed the book’s potential.
⇨ go to sleep at ↑ sleep 2 (3)