sleep rough
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
sleep rough
- /ˌsliːp ˈɹʌf/ UK
- /ˌslip ˈɹʌf/ US
- /ˌsliːp ˈɹaf/ Australia
- [ˌslɪip ˈɹaf] Australia
Where it comes from
From sleep (verb) + rough (“in a rough manner, roughly”, adverb) (a reference to the uncomfortable situation of sleeping outdoors).
verb sleeps rough · sleeping rough · slept rough
-
Of a homeless person, to sleep outdoors, particularly as opposed to sleeping in a shelter or similar.
I will warrant they prove such roaring boys as I knew when I served under Lumford and Goring, [...] —sleeping rough on the trenches, and dying stubbornly in their boats. Ah! those merry days are gone.
Similar: lie rough, live rough
Translations
Every language
verb to sleep outdoors
| Español | dormir al raso, dormir al sereno |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 在街上睡覺 /在街上睡觉 zài jiēshang shuìjiào, 流浪 liúlàng |
| Português | dormir ao relento |
| Français | coucher sous les ponts, dormir sous les ponts |
| Italiano | dormire all'addiaccio |
| Русский | спать на у́лице spatʹ na úlice, бомжева́ть bomževátʹ |
Talk about this word "sleep rough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sleep%20rough. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. sleep rough. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sleep%20rough "sleep rough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sleep%20rough.Cite this
@misc{sleep_rough_2026,
title = {sleep rough},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sleep%20rough},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
