slumber

American  

[sluhm-ber] / ˈslʌm bər /

verb (used without object)

• slumbers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slumbered,
  past participle,  past
• slumbering
  present participle

1. to sleep, especially lightly; doze; drowse.

2. to be in a state of inactivity, negligence, quiescence, or calm.

   Vesuvius is slumbering.

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verb (used with object)

• slumbers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slumbered,
  past participle,  past
• slumbering
  present participle

1. to spend or pass (time) in slumbering (often followed by away, out, orthrough ).

   to slumber the afternoon away.

2. to dispel or forget by slumbering (often followed byaway ).

   to slumber cares away.

noun

• slumbers
  plural

1. Sometimes slumbers. sleep, especially light sleep.

2. a period of sleep, especially light sleep.

3. a state of inactivity, quiescence, etc.

slumber British  

/ ˈslʌmbə /

verb

1. (intr) to sleep, esp peacefully

2. (intr) to be quiescent or dormant

3. to spend (time) sleeping

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noun

1. (sometimes plural) sleep

2. a dormant or quiescent state

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slumberer
  noun
• slumberless
  adjective
• unslumbering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• slumbers
  plural

Participles

• slumbering
  present
• slumbered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• slumber
  simple
• slumbers
  simple
• have slumbered
  perfect
• has slumbered
  perfect
• am slumbering
  progressive
• are slumbering
  progressive
• is slumbering
  progressive
• have been slumbering
  perfect progressive
• has been slumbering
  perfect progressive

Past

• slumbered
  simple
• had slumbered
  perfect
• was slumbering
  progressive
• were slumbering
  progressive
• had been slumbering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will slumber
  simple
• will have slumbered
  perfect
• will be slumbering
  progressive
• will have been slumbering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of slumber

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English slumeren, frequentative of slumen to doze, derivative of Old English slūma sleep ( see -er ⁶); compare German schlummern; (noun) Middle English slomur, slomber, derivative of the v.

Explanation

Slumber means "sleep" — as a verb or noun. If you're a sound sleeper, you might slumber peacefully right through a thunderstorm, your slumber undisturbed. To slumber is to sleep, sometimes specifically to sleep lightly or doze. You can slumber in your bed, in your airplane seat, or through your alarm in the morning. Slumber can also describe a peacefulness, like your quiet street that seems to slumber early in the morning. The phrase slumber party was first used in the 1940s to mean a gathering held at night, that usually involves very little slumbering.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slumber slumbers slumbered slumbering

Perhaps he pictured a shared meal, clinking glasses and maybe a nostalgic movie on the sofa before comfortably sinking into slumber and loud farting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

But in the 1985 novel told from his point of view, he’s reborn as a rock star, emerging from a long, depressive slumber just in time to seduce the MTV generation.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Still, others say home-buying activity needs to increase more to break the market out of its slumber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Looking at its daily chart this has lagged the energy complex since last December but I believe it will come out of its slumber shortly.

From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026

“Well, if you’ll indulge me one final stop on this trek of ours, I’ll make the interrupted slumber worth your while.”

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

As the sun still slumbers early Monday, patches of dense fog are cloaking parts of Puget Sound and the southwest interior, including areas in and around Tacoma, Bellevue, Seattle and Bremerton.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

As his successor Major Burns continues in the role, it is unclear how often his daily performance will be waking a monarch from his slumbers.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2022

Ghosts of an ailing industry surround Gravitricity’s test site: A supply vessel serving North Sea oil rigs slumbers nearby.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 22, 2021

"Awaken from your heavy slumbers, heedless ones, lest you be slain in sleep; awaken, for the walls are crumbling, and will crush you; awaken."

From Salon ● Dec. 22, 2020

What slumbers in the heart, slumbers in the stone.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Hundreds of older people slumbered on thin mats on the hard lobby floor at a community centre in Uki city.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Scientists say they’re closer to an answer, thanks to an unusual study that used an electronic glove to guide people’s dreams while they slumbered.

From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2023

While RSV and influenza slumbered these past few years, society was learning an unprecedented amount about their behavior and the effect public health actions have on them.

From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2022

One night, at two, while the majority of the crew slumbered, John snuck out of his rack and headed down to the hangar deck.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2018

Now at peace, the man slumbered and lay still, but not his lady.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Treasury debt is a slumbering giant that is starting to stir.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

That seemed to wake the slumbering Ducks, with Gauthier getting his second score of the game on a power play 37 seconds later, giving him a team-high 40 goals for the season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

My dining table is cluttered with mail, yet-to-be-shipped jars of homemade jam and, more often than not, an enormous, slumbering pile of Maine Coon.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

"The border with Lithuania is in 30 minutes," the assistant shouted to rouse slumbering passengers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025

My mother turned from a foggy log into a slumbering, middle-aged woman, her mouth slightly open and a snore raveling from her throat.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Related Words

• coma
• dormancy
• stupor