Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: HUMAN

sleep

1 verb
     
sleep1 S1 W2 past tense and past participle slept [intransitive]
1HBH to rest your mind and body, usually at night when you are lying in bed with your eyes closed [↪ asleep, oversleep]COLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
sleep well/soundly sleep badly sleep peacefully sleep fitfully literary (=keep moving or waking during a sleep) can't sleep sleep late (=not get up until late in the morning) sleep like a log informal (=sleep very well) not sleep a wink (=not sleep at all) somewhere/nowhere to sleep
I usually sleep on my back.
Did you sleep well?
Dee was tired out but couldn't sleep.
We both slept badly that night.
The baby slept peacefully in its cradle.
She slept fitfully, disturbed by nightmares.
I couldn't sleep because I was so worried.
We usually sleep late on Sundays.
I slept like a log until morning.
He had hardly slept a wink all night.
He's lucky because at least he has somewhere to sleep.
2

sleep rough

British English to sleep outdoors in uncomfortable conditions, especially because you have no money
3

sleep on it

spoken to not make a decision about something important until the next day
4

sleep tight

spoken said especially to children before they go to bed to say that you hope they sleep well:
Good night, Jenny. Sleep tight!
5DL

sleep two/four/six etc

to have enough beds for a particular number of people:
The villa sleeps four.
6

let sleeping dogs lie

to deliberately avoid mentioning a subject, so that you do not cause any trouble or argument
7 literary if a village, house etc sleeps, it is very quiet during the night

sleep around

phrasal verb
to have sex with a lot of different people without having a serious relationship with any of them - used to show disapproval

sleep in

phrasal verb
to let yourself sleep later than usual in the morning:
We usually sleep in on Sunday mornings.

sleep something ↔ off

phrasal verb
to sleep until you do not feel ill any more, especially after drinking too much alcohol:
He went to his room to sleep it off.

sleep over

phrasal verb
to sleep at someone's house for a night - used especially by children

sleep through

phrasal verb
1

sleep through something

to sleep while something is happening and not be woken by it:
How did you manage to sleep through that thunderstorm?
2

sleep through (something)

to sleep continuously for a long time:
I slept right through till lunchtime.
The baby slept peacefully through the night.

sleep together

phrasal verb
if people sleep together, they have sex with each other

sleep with somebody

phrasal verb
to have sex with someone, especially someone you are not married to:
Everybody in the office knows he's been sleeping with Kathy.
WORD CHOICE: WORD CHOICE:

sleep, asleep You usually use be asleep rather than 'be sleeping' • Her parents were already asleep (NOT already slept/were sleeping). The verb sleep is used when you are giving more information, for example about how long someone sleeps or where they sleep • The baby sleeps for 12 hours. • He slept in the car. You usually say fall asleep, not 'start sleeping' • Some students fall asleep (NOT start sleeping/start to sleep) at their desks.!! Do not say 'feel asleep'. You can also say someone goes to sleep, especially when they are in bed and want to sleep • I turned the light out and went to sleep. You use get to sleep when someone has difficulty falling asleep • It took me hours to get to sleep.
Definition of sleep from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic HUMAN
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