asleep
Americanadverb
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in or into a state of sleep.
He fell asleep quickly.
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into a dormant or inactive state; to rest.
Their anxieties were put asleep.
-
into the state of death.
adjective
-
sleeping.
He is asleep.
-
dormant; inactive.
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(of the foot, hand, leg, etc.) numb.
-
dead.
adjective
-
in or into a state of sleep
-
in or into a dormant or inactive state
-
(of limbs, esp when the blood supply to them has been restricted) numb; lacking sensation
-
euphemistic dead
Other Word Forms
- half-asleep adjective
- quasi-asleep adjective
Etymology
Origin of asleep
before 1000; Middle English o slæpe, aslepe, Old English on slǣpe; a- 1, sleep
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.
After receiving her diagnosis, she embarked on the Crash world tour, where the singer describes struggling to stay focused and falling asleep mid-conversation while adjusting to her new medications.
From Los Angeles Times
Nancy's team may be making a mess of it on the pitch but what about the ones above him who, fans might say, have fallen asleep at the wheel?
From BBC
“Now your island”—or “farm” or “forest”—“is asleep. Now you can sleep too and think about what you will do there tomorrow.”
“Forensic Files” creator Paul Dowling recruited Thomas after Dowling fell asleep on a couch and woke up to the sound of his voice on a World War II documentary.
The Tymofeyevs were asleep at home in Chelyabinsk when the driver called in shock at discovering drones.
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.
