sleep

[ sleep ]

verb (used without object)

, slept, sleep·ing.

1. to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.

   Synonyms: doze, drowse, nap, slumber

2. Botany. to assume, especially at night, a state similar to the sleep of animals, marked by closing of petals, leaves, etc.
3. to be dormant, quiescent, or inactive, as faculties.
4. to be careless or unalert; allow one's alertness, vigilance, or attentiveness to lie dormant:

   While England slept, Germany prepared for war.

5. to lie in death:

   They are sleeping in their tombs.

verb (used with object)

, slept, sleep·ing.

1. to take rest in (a specified kind of sleep):

   He slept the sleep of the innocent.

2. to accommodate for sleeping; have sleeping accommodations for:

   This trailer sleeps three people.

3. to spend or pass in sleep (usually followed by away or out ):

   to sleep the day away.

4. to recover from the effects of (a headache, hangover, etc.) by sleeping (usually followed by off or away ).

noun

1. the state of a person, animal, or plant that sleeps.

   Synonyms: repose, rest

2. a period of sleeping:

   a brief sleep.

   Synonyms: nap

3. dormancy or inactivity.
4. the repose of death.
5. sleeper ( def 10 ).

verb phrase

1. to be sexual partners; have a sexual relationship.
2. Informal. to have sexual relations with many partners, especially in a casual way; be sexually promiscuous.
3. to spend one or more nights in a place other than one's own home:

   Two friends will sleep over this weekend.

4. 1. (especially of domestic help) to sleep away from one's place of employment.
   2. Chiefly Northern U.S. to sleep away from one's home.
   3. to sleep outdoors.
5. to postpone making a decision about for at least a day:

   to sleep on a proposal till the end of the week.

6. 1. (especially of domestic help) to sleep where one is employed.
   2. to sleep beyond one's usual time of arising.
7. to have sexual relations with.

sleep

/ sliːp /

noun

1. a periodic state of physiological rest during which consciousness is suspended and metabolic rate is decreased See also paradoxical sleep
2. botany the nontechnical name for nyctitropism
3. a period spent sleeping
4. a state of quiescence or dormancy
5. a poetic or euphemistic word for death
6. informal.
   the dried mucoid particles often found in the corners of the eyes after sleeping

verb

1. intr to be in or as in the state of sleep
2. intr (of plants) to show nyctitropism
3. intr to be inactive or quiescent
4. tr to have sleeping accommodation for (a certain number)

   the boat could sleep six

5. trfoll byaway to pass (time) sleeping
6. intr to fail to pay attention
7. poetic.
   intr to be dead
8. sleep on it
   to give (something) extended consideration, esp overnight

sleep

/ slēp /

1. A natural, reversible state of rest in most vertebrate animals, occurring at regular intervals and necessary for the maintenance of health. During sleep, the eyes usually close, the muscles relax, and responsiveness to external stimuli decreases. Growth and repair of the tissues of the body are thought to occur, and energy is conserved and stored. In humans and certain other animals, sleep occurs in five stages, the first four consisting of non-REM sleep and the last stage consisting of REM sleep . These stages constitute a sleep cycle that repeats itself about five times during a normal episode of sleep. Each cycle is longer that the one preceding it because the length of the REM stage increases with every cycle until waking occurs. Stage I is characterized by drowsiness, Stage II by light sleep, and Stages III and IV by deep sleep. Stages II and III repeat themselves before REM sleep (Stage V), which occurs about 90 minutes after the onset of sleep. During REM sleep, dreams occur, and memory is thought to be organized. In the stages of non-REM sleep, there are no dreams, and brain activity decreases while the body recovers from wakeful activity. The amount and periodicity of sleep in humans vary with age, with infants sleeping frequently for shorter periods, and mature adults sleeping for longer uninterrupted periods.
2. See also non-REM sleep

Other Words From

• sleepful adjective
• sleeplike adjective
• anti·sleep adjective
• under·sleep verb (used without object) underslept undersleeping

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleep¹

First recorded before 900; (for the noun) Middle English; Old English slēp (Anglian), slǣp, slāp; cognate with Dutch slaap, German Schlaf, Gothic slēps; (for the verb) Middle English slepen, Old English slēpan, slǣpan, slāpan, cognate with Old Saxon slāpan, Gothic slēpan

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleep¹

Old English slǣpan; related to Old Frisian slēpa, Old Saxon slāpan, Old High German slāfan, German schlaff limp

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. put to sleep, to put (an animal) to death in a humane way:

   to put a sick old dog to sleep.

More idioms and phrases containing sleep

• let sleeping dogs lie
• lose sleep over
• put to sleep
• asleep

Example Sentences

The genetic condition can cause serious medical complications such as spinal cord compression, sleep apnoea, bowed legs, narrowing of the spinal canal and recurrent ear infections.

From Science Daily

The study sheds light on how sleep, specifically a short nap, influences brain activity associated with motor skill improvement, with implications for optimizing rehabilitation strategies.

From Science Daily

But here’s a look at which are worth losing sleep over and which may be harder for him to carry out.

From Los Angeles Times

"I came in really nervous, I hadn't slept the night before," he says as he remembers his own journey through the selection process.

From BBC

She was required to place the phone throughout the house - while cooking, sleeping, and even outside the bathroom - tracking her every move.

From BBC

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• fall asleep
• languish
• relax
• snooze