fall asleep

Idioms  

1. Go to sleep; also, cease paying attention. For example, As soon as the lights were dimmed he fell asleep, or His lectures are so dull that I fall asleep. The literal usage, which uses the verb fall in the sense of “succumb,” dates from about 1300; the figurative is several centuries newer. Also see asleep at the switch.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fall asleep

So I’ll read a physical book or my Kindle or put on a show that I’ve seen 1,000 times if I just need something to fall asleep.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

His strategy for staying calm was simple: "Stick my earphones in, listen to music and try to fall asleep."

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

A person may still fall asleep at a normal time and remain asleep for what appears to be a full night, yet the quality of that rest may still be altered.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

I do fall asleep on the train to work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The very next night, after they returned from Kobe, Hanako lay in bed and thought of Kiyoshi, and she wasn’t able to fall asleep.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze

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