sleep
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sleep¹
- /sliːp/
- [slɪjp] British, Southern, Standard
Rhymes with -iːp
Where it comes from
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”).
verb sleeps · sleeping · slept · sleep
- To rest in a state of reduced consciousness. You should sleep eight hours a day.
- To have sexual intercourse (see sleep with). Last night we slept together for the first time.
- To accommodate in beds. This caravan can sleep four people comfortably.
- To be careless, inattentive, or unconcerned; not to be vigilant; to live thoughtlessly. 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.
- To be dead. For if we beleeue that Ieſus died, and roſe againe: euen ſo them alſo which ſleepe in Ieſus, will God bring with him.
- To be, or appear to be, in repose; to be quiet; to be unemployed, unused, or unagitated; to rest; to lie dormant. a question sleeps for the present; the law sleeps
- To wait for a period of time without performing any action. After a failed connection attempt, the program sleeps for 5 seconds before trying again.
- To place into a state of hibernation. 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.
- To spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion. When a top is sleeping, it is spinning without precessing.
- To cause (a spinning top or yo-yo) to spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion. Yo-yo tricks involving sleeping the yo-yo (like "walking the dog" and "rocking the baby") cannot be performed in space.
- To knock (someone) out (as, in a fight).
Similar: crash, doze, repose, rest, saw logs, catch some z's, sleep, sleep a wink, slumber, snooze
sleep²
- /sliːp/
- [slɪjp] British, Southern, Standard
Rhymes with -iːp
Where it comes from
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”).
noun sleeps · sleepe
- The state of reduced consciousness during which a human or animal rests in a daily rhythm. I really need some sleep.
- An act or instance of sleeping. I’m just going to have a quick sleep.
- A night. There are only three sleeps till Christmas!
- 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). 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.
-
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.
The daily sleep of plants, and their winter sleep, present in this respect exactly similar phenomena[…]
Similar: nyctinasty, nyctitropism
- The hibernation of animals.
Similar: bed booger(s), crusty, eye booger(s), eye bogie(s), eye crust, eye goop, eye gunk, eye sand, eye snot, gound, sleeper, sleepies, sleepy, sleepy booger(s), sleepy dust, sleepy sand
Sleep³
proper noun Sleeps
- A surname from English.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: nap, slumber, rest, quietus, kip, eternal sleep, eternal rest, snooze, doze, asleep, sleeper, insomnia, bedtime, idle, inactivity, dormancy
verb
Similar: crash, doze, repose, rest, saw logs, catch some z's, sleep, sleep a wink, slumber, snooze
noun
Similar: bed booger(s), crusty, eye booger(s), eye bogie(s), eye crust, eye goop, eye gunk, eye sand, eye snot, gound, sleeper, sleepies, sleepy, sleepy booger(s), sleepy dust, sleepy sand
Translations
Every language
verb to rest in state of reduced consciousness
| Español | dormir, jatear, sornar, apolillar, apolar, guindar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 자다 jada, 잠자다 jamjada, 주무시다 jumusida |
| 日本語 | 寝る neru, 眠る nemuru, お休みになる o-yasumi ni naru |
| 中文 | 睡覺 /睡觉 shuìjiào, 眠 mián, 睡眠 shuìmián, 睏覺 /困觉 kùnjiào, 睡瞌睡 |
| हिन्दी | सोना sonā |
| Kiswahili | kulala, lala |
| Português | dormir |
| Français | dormir |
| Deutsch | schlafen, pennen |
| Italiano | dormire |
| Ελληνικά | κοιμάμαι koimámai |
| Română | dormi |
| Русский | спать spatʹ, поспа́ть pospátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | ngủ, ngủ gục |
| العربية | نَامَ nāma, رَقَدَ raqada |
| עברית | יָשֵׁן yashén |
verb to accommodate
| 日本語 | 宿泊する shukuhaku suru |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | unterbringen |
| Ελληνικά | κοιμίζω koimízo |
| Русский | помеща́ть pomeščátʹ, помести́ть pomestítʹ, размеща́ть razmeščátʹ, размести́ть razmestítʹ |
noun state of reduced consciousness
| Español | sueño, dormición |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 잠 jam, 수면 sumyeon |
| 日本語 | 眠り nemuri, 睡眠 suimin |
| 中文 | 睡覺 /睡觉 shuìjiào, 睡眠 shuìmián |
| हिन्दी | नींद nīnd, निद्रा nidrā |
| Kiswahili | usingizi |
| Português | sono |
| Français | sommeil |
| Deutsch | Schlaf |
| Italiano | sonno |
| Ελληνικά | ύπνος ýpnos |
| Română | somn |
| Русский | сон son |
| Tiếng Việt | giấc ngủ, sự ngũ |
| العربية | نَوْم nawm, سِنَة sina |
| עברית | שינה, שֵׁנָה shená |
noun informal: act or instance of sleeping — see also sleeping
| 日本語 | 仮眠 kamin |
|---|---|
| Português | sono |
| Deutsch | Schlaf, Schläfchen, Nachtruhe |
| Italiano | sonno |
| Ελληνικά | ύπνος ýpnos |
| Română | somn |
| Русский | сон son |
| العربية | نَوْمَة nawma |
noun substance found in the corner of the eyes, sometimes as a figurative objectification of sleep — see also rheum
| 한국어 | 눈곱 nun'gop |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 目脂 meyani, 目糞 mekuso, 目垢 meaka |
| 中文 | 眼屎 yǎnshǐ, 眵 chī |
| Português | remela, ramela |
| Français | chassie |
| Deutsch | Schlaf, Schlaf in den Augen, Schlafsand, Augenbutter, Augenschleim, Matzel |
| Italiano | cispa |
| Ελληνικά | τσίμπλα tsímpla |
| Română | urdoare, puchină |
| Русский | сон son, глазная слизь glaznaja slizʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | ghèn |
| العربية | غَمَص ḡamaṣ, رَمَص ramaṣ |
Talk about this word "sleep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sleep. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sleep. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sleep "sleep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sleep.Cite this
@misc{sleep_2026,
title = {sleep},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sleep},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
