What does "sleep" mean?
The state of reduced consciousness during which a human or animal rests in a daily rhythm.
Sleep
/sliːp/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The state of reduced consciousness during which a human or animal rests in a daily rhythm.
- Grammar: sleep is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: catch some z's, nap, rest, slumber.
- Useful contrasts: icelandic vakna, act, active mode.
- Usage evidence: We can't sleep because of the noise.
How to use "sleep"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sleep" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sleep" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sleep" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sleep" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sleep" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "catch some z's" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sleep", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state of reduced consciousness during which a human or animal rests in a daily rhythm. uncountable
"I really need some sleep."
- 2 euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb) wordnet
- 3 An act or instance of sleeping. countable, informal
"I’m just going to have a quick sleep."
- 4 a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended wordnet
- 5 A night. countable, informal, metonymically, uncountable
"There are only three sleeps till Christmas!"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a torpid state resembling deep sleep wordnet
- 7 Rheum, crusty or gummy discharge found in the corner of the eyes after waking, whether real or a figurative objectification of sleep (in the sense of reduced consciousness). uncountable
"When she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and wept till she was tired, she set out on her way and walked for many, many a day, till she at last came to a big mountain."
- 8 a period of time spent sleeping wordnet
- 9 A state of plants, usually at night, when their leaflets approach each other and the flowers close and droop, or are covered by the folded leaves. countable, uncountable
"The daily sleep of plants, and their winter sleep, present in this respect exactly similar phenomena[…]"
- 10 The hibernation of animals. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To rest in a state of reduced consciousness. intransitive
"You should sleep eight hours a day."
- 2 be asleep wordnet
- 3 To have sexual intercourse (see sleep with). euphemistic, idiomatic
"Last night we slept together for the first time."
- 4 be able to accommodate for sleeping wordnet
- 5 To accommodate in beds. transitive
"This caravan can sleep four people comfortably."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To be careless, inattentive, or unconcerned; not to be vigilant; to live thoughtlessly. idiomatic, intransitive
"We ſleep over our Happineſs, Great as it is, and want to be rous'd into a quick and thankful ſenſe of it, either by an actual Change of Circumſtances, or by a Compariſon of our Own caſe with that of other Men."
- 7 To be dead. euphemistic, idiomatic, intransitive
"For if we beleeue that Ieſus died, and roſe againe: euen ſo them alſo which ſleepe in Ieſus, will God bring with him."
- 8 To be, or appear to be, in repose; to be quiet; to be unemployed, unused, or unagitated; to rest; to lie dormant. intransitive
"a question sleeps for the present; the law sleeps"
- 9 To wait for a period of time without performing any action. intransitive
"After a failed connection attempt, the program sleeps for 5 seconds before trying again."
- 10 To place into a state of hibernation. transitive
"Even when you have reasons not to sleep the computer, it's still a good idea to sleep the display after a period of time."
- 11 To spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion. intransitive
"When a top is sleeping, it is spinning but not precessing."
- 12 To cause (a spinning top or yo-yo) to spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion. transitive
"Yo-yo tricks involving sleeping the yo-yo (like "walking the dog" and "rocking the baby") cannot be performed in space."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from English.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We can't sleep because of the noise."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sleep"?
Common synonyms include: catch some z's, nap, rest, slumber, slumber, annihilation.
How do you use "sleep" in a sentence?
We can't sleep because of the noise.
How do you pronounce "sleep"?
Pronounced /sliːp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English slepen, from Anglian Old English slēpan (West Saxon Old English slǣpan), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpan, from Proto-Germanic *slēpaną (“to sleep”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sleepe, sliap, sliip, släipe (“to sleep”), Saterland Frisian släipe (“to sleep”), West Frisian sliepe (“to sleep”), Alemannic German schlaaffe, schlaafä, schlafe, schloafe, schloafen, schlofe, schlàfu (“to sleep”), Bavarian schlofn, schlåfn, sghlofn (“to sleep”), Central Franconian schlofe (“to sleep”), Cimbrian slaafan, slafan, slavan (“to sleep”), Dutch and Low German slapen (“to sleep”), German schlafen (“to sleep”), Limburgish schloëpe, slaope (“to sleep”), Luxembourgish schlofen (“to sleep”), Mòcheno schloven (“to sleep”), Vilamovian šłȫfa, śłöfa (“to sleep”), Yiddish שלאָפֿן (shlofn, “to sleep”), Crimean Gothic schlipen (“to sleep”), Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌴𐍀𐌰𐌽 (slēpan, “to sleep”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English slepe, sleep, sleepe, from Old English slǣp (“sleep”), from Proto-West Germanic *slāp, from Proto-Germanic *slēpaz (“sleep”). Cognates Cognate with Yola slepe (“sleep”), Saterland Frisian Släip (“sleep”), West Frisian sliep (“sleep”), Dutch slaap (“sleep”), German Schlaf (“sleep”), Luxembourgish Schlof (“sleep”), Vilamovian šłȫf, śłöf (“sleep”), Yiddish שלאָף (shlof, “sleep”), Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌴𐍀𐍃 (slēps, “sleep”).