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Synonyms

snooze

American  
[snooz] / snuz /

verb (used without object)

snoozed, snoozing

  1. to sleep; slumber; doze; nap.

    I feel wonderful—I snoozed for over an hour after lunch.

noun

  1. a short sleep; nap.

  2. a person or thing regarded as very dull or tiresome; a bore.

    Our professor knows his subject but can be a bit of a snooze in the classroom.
snooze British  
/ snuːz /

verb

  1. (intr) to take a brief light sleep

"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

noun

  1. a nap

"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

Other Word Forms

  • snoozer noun
  • snoozy adjective

Etymology

Origin of snooze

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

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.

"We were not able and not willing, once again, to push the snooze button on this… it was a huge step for Germany, a huge step for the German population, definitely."

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Enough people have watched these movies — or let them autoplay as they snooze on the couch — that Netflix believes films like “The Rip” are truly what their audiences want.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026

Midterms usually are a snooze for American voters and global observers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

The Fed meeting was expected to be something of a snooze, with many predicting that earnings would again overshadow the central bank.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

In the afternoon heat they snooze in the dusty dirt beneath that tangle of manzanita trees.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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.