verb

sleep

SLEEP

verb

To rest in the natural state of reduced consciousness that the body needs each day.

"She went to bed early and slept for nine hours straight."

"The baby finally slept through the night."

(informal) To have sexual intercourse with someone.

"They had been sleeping together for months before anyone found out."

To be inattentive, careless, or unprepared for something.

"The company slept while its competitors raced ahead with new technology."

noun

The state of rest the body enters each night, marked by reduced awareness of the surroundings.

"He looked like he badly needed some sleep after the all-nighter."

How to Use Sleep

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe natural, restful state your body and mind enter to recover — as a verb, doing that; as a noun, the state itself.

Common mistake

"Sleep with someone" is a common euphemism for having sex, which can trip up learners expecting only the literal meaning.

Common pairings

get some sleep go to sleep sleep deprivation fall asleep

Word Forms

slept past tense, sleep plural, slept plural, sleeps plural, Sleeps plural, sleeps singular, sleep singular, slept singular, sleepest singular, sleptst singular, sleptest singular, sleepeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

They had been _____ together for months before anyone found out.

Etymology

From Old English slǣpan, a very old Germanic verb with cousins in Dutch (slapen) and German (schlafen) that all mean "to sleep."

Synonyms

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crash doze repose rest saw logs catch some z's sleep a wink slumber snooze bed booger(s) crusty eye booger(s)

Related Words

activity bore death pull stop drag crash DIN

Rhymes for sleep

eep keep weep deep seep peep Jeep beep meep creep sheep sweep

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