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Synonyms

nod off

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, adverb) to fall asleep

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
nod off Idioms  

  1. Fall asleep momentarily, doze, as in Grandma spends a lot of time in her rocking chair, nodding off now and then. This expression alludes to the quick involuntary dropping of one's head from an upright position when drowsy or napping. The verb nod alone was so used from the mid-1500s. Also see drop off, def. 1.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For at least the past several years, lawyers say, he has appeared at times to nod off on the bench.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

In earlier episodes, we see him nod off at his cubicle and he experiences vivid dreams where black goo is emanating from his desk.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025

“Mr. Trump appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest,” Haberman wrote Monday.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2024

If he did nod off, I missed it from my seat in the overflow courtroom—where almost all of the media will be watching from during the pendency of jury selection.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2024

To see when they smiled and gasped, when the women sighed and when the men began to nod off.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.