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.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fall asleep

At first, his pregnant wife was scared he might fall asleep at the wheel.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

When you hold your loved one’s hand as they fall asleep and die right in front of you, it stays with you.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos must put that scene on a loop every night to help him fall asleep.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Thorn Rose accepts him and everyone rejoices—but soon they all fall asleep again, suggesting that the cycle will repeat forever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Bringing a book outside to read, I would fall asleep almost immediately in my chair; when I took the boat out I soon tired of rowing and allowed myself to drift all afternoon.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze