Word family noun sleep sleeper sleepiness sleeplessness adjective asleep sleepless sleepy verb sleep adverb sleepily sleeplessly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsleepsleep1 /sliːp/ ●●● S1 W2 verb (past tense and past participle slept /slept/) [intransitive] 1 HBHSLEEPto rest your mind and body, usually at night when you are lying in bed with your eyes closed → asleep I usually sleep on my back. Did you sleep well? He’s lucky because at least he has somewhere to sleep.2 → sleep rough3 → sleep on it4 → sleep tight5 → somebody can sleep easy6 → sleep two/four/six etc7 → let sleeping dogs lie8 literaryQUIET if a village, house etc sleeps, it is very quiet during the nightCOLLOCATIONSadverbssleep wellI haven’t been sleeping well lately.sleep badlyEleanor slept badly that night.sleep soundly/deeply (=in a way that means you are not likely to wake)Within seconds, Maggie was sleeping soundly.sleep peacefullyCelia slept peacefully beside him.sleep uneasily (=not sleep well, because you are worried)That night I slept uneasily, anxious about the meeting the next day. sleep fitfully literary (=sleep badly, waking up after short periods, especially because you are worried)She slept fitfully, her mind filled with images of Jack’s face.barely/hardly sleep (=to not sleep well)I’d hardly slept the night before the wedding.sleep late (=not wake up until late in the morning)She had slept late; it was already eleven.phrasescan’t/couldn’t sleepI went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep.be unable to sleepHe lay down but was unable to sleep.have trouble sleeping (=to not sleep well)Why do so many elderly people have trouble sleeping?sleep like a log (also sleep like a baby) informal (=sleep very well)I was exhausted and slept like a log.not sleep a wink informal (=not sleep at all)I didn’t sleep a wink last night. THESAURUSsleep to rest your mind and body with your eyes closed. Sleep is usually used when talking about how long, how deeply, or where someone sleeps. When saying that someone is not awake, you use be asleepMost people sleep for about eight hours.He slept downstairs.Did you sleep well?be asleep to be sleepingThe baby’s asleep – don’t wake her.He was fast asleep (=completely asleep) by the time I got home.oversleep to sleep for longer than you intended so that you wake up late in the morningI overslept and was late for work.take a nap (also have a nap especially British English) (also have forty winks informal) to sleep for a short time during the dayI think I’ll have a nap.She had been awake all night and was looking forward to taking a nap.have/take a snooze informal to sleep for a short time, especially in a chair, not in a bedI think I’ll have a quick snooze.doze to sleep lightly, for example in a chair, and be easily wokenI wasn’t really asleep – I was just dozing.I must have dozed off (=started sleeping) halfway through the film.kip British English informal to sleep somewhere, especially somewhere that is not your home – a very informal useI kipped at my mate’s for a couple of days.Is it alright if I kip on the floor? → sleep around → sleep in → sleep something ↔ off → sleep over → sleep through → sleep together → sleep with somebody→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
sleep• Is the baby sleeping all night now?• Charlotte was sleeping and her mother didn't want to wake her.• But it was hardly like sleeping at all.• I'm so tired, I could sleep for a week.• Expect to pay $ 115 for a cabin that sleeps four during peak season.• Poor old Chris was sleeping in his car and living off bread and water when he found he'd won £250,000.• Smitty went to sleep in the back.• I normally sleep on my back.• If my snoring is that bad, I'll go down and sleep on the sofa.• I had slept only a few hours, but I had to get up early.• What happens when we sleep or are unconscious?• You can rent a country cottage that sleeps six from as little as £300 a week.• None of us slept very easily, I have to say.• I didn't sleep very well last night, so I couldn't concentrate on the exam.sleepsleep2 ●●● S2 W3 noun 1 being asleep [uncountable]HBHSLEEP the natural state of resting your mind and body, usually at night → beauty sleep I didn’t get much sleep last night. Her eyes were red through lack of sleep.in your sleep (=while sleeping) Ed often talks in his sleep. She died peacefully in her sleep.2 period of sleeping [singular]SLEEP a period when you are sleeping I had a little sleep in the afternoon. She was woken from a deep sleep by a ring at the door.3 → go to sleep4 → lose sleep over something5 → put somebody/something to sleep6 → somebody can do something in their sleep7 → send somebody to sleep8 in your eyes [uncountable] informalHBH a substance that forms in the corners of your eyes while you are sleeping She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.9 → 3/5/8 etc sleeps until/till somethingCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbsgo to sleep (=start sleeping)He turned over and went to sleep.drift/drop off to sleep (=start sleeping, especially without meaning to)She’d drifted off to sleep on the sofa.get to sleep (=succeed in starting to sleep)Last night I couldn’t get to sleep.go back/get back to sleep (=sleep again after waking up)He shut his eyes and went back to sleep.send somebody to sleep (=make someone start sleeping)She hoped the music would send her to sleep.get some sleep (=sleep for a while)You’d better get some sleep.have a sleep British English (=sleep for a short while)Are you going to have a sleep after lunch today?catch up on some sleep (=sleep after not having enough sleep)I suggest you try and catch up on some sleep.sing/rock/lull somebody to sleep (=make someone sleep by singing etc)She was usually able to rock the baby back to sleep quite quickly.adjectivesa long sleepHe needed a decent meal and a long sleep.a little/short sleepI always have a little sleep in the afternoon.a deep/sound/heavy sleep (=a sleep from which you cannot easily be woken)The noise woke him from a deep sleep.a light sleep (=a sleep from which you can easily be woken)I fell into a light sleep.a dreamless sleep (=in which you do not dream)She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.an exhausted sleep (=because you were very tired)He finally woke from an exhausted sleep.a fitful/restless/uneasy sleep (=in which you keep moving or waking)My alarm woke me from a fitful sleep.phrasesa good night’s sleep (=when you sleep well)I woke up refreshed after a good night’s sleep.five/eight etc hours’ sleepAfter eight hours’ sleep, I woke up in pitch blackness.drift in and out of sleep (=keep almost waking up)I lay in the garden, drifting in and out of sleep.cry yourself to sleep (=cry until you fall asleep)I used to cry myself to sleep every night.fall into a deep/long etc sleep (=start sleeping deeply, for a long time etc)He lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.wake/be woken from a deep/long etc sleepA very long time later I woke from a deep sleep.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘go sleep’. Say go to sleep. THESAURUSsleep the natural state of resting your mind and body, when your eyes are closed and you do not notice anything happening around youI hardly got any sleep at all last night.He woke suddenly from a deep sleep.slumber/slumbers literary sleepShe fell into an uneasy slumber.He awoke from his slumbers.shut-eye informal especially humorous sleepI really need to get some shut-eye.doze a period in which you sleep lightly, especially when you are not in your bedEdward was so tired he fell into a doze on the settee.snooze informal a short period when you sleep lightly, especially when you are not in your bedHe decided to have a snooze on the sofa while he was waiting for the others to get ready.nap a short sleep, especially during the dayHe’s taking a nap.Helen put the baby down for a nap after lunch.forty winks informal a short sleep, especially during the dayI’m just going to have forty winks.I felt a lot better after I had had forty winks. Examples from the Corpus
sleep• A sudden noise on the street woke Eileen from a deep sleep.• Katie sometimes talks in her sleep.• Her sleep had been very disturbed.• Grandad died peacefully in his sleep.• Lumberjack sprawled on the tiles at her feet, whining softly in his sleep like a damp log on a fire.• Eight hours' sleep a night is enough for most people.• I don't suppose you got much sleep last night.• Easy, do it in my sleep.• Mike came up on Wednesday night after virtually no sleep since leaving my house on Monday at 3.30 am.• Depending on the amount of sleep you get every night, you can experience anywhere from four to six sleep cycles.• He had already dropped into the depths of sleep.• Depression can be caused simply by a lack of sleep.• A lot of mineralization is needed to create a sedative effect, calm the nerves and promote sound sleep.in your sleep• In these early weeks of her dying, Sycorax slept, and in her sleep, cried out.• He stirred and took a deep breath in his sleep.• But Lafferty enjoyed that wealth only a short time, dying in his sleep Nov. 4.• The heat makes them nervous and jumpy, even in their sleep.• Carol was dying, and he cried out in his sleep and sat up trembling with cold sweats in the heat.• You got no right tying up people in their sleep.• She'd thought it was Anna, snuffling in her sleep or from grief.• She was beginning to hear that strident, angry voice in her sleep.Origin sleep2 Old English slæp 