asleep
Americanadverb
-
in or into a state of sleep.
He fell asleep quickly.
-
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.
-
(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.
“Your head is full of stories that your family made up, Nell, stories to help a little girl fall asleep at night. There is no truth to them.”
From Literature
“He’s half asleep and he lacks clarity and definition,” Hiddleston says.
From Los Angeles Times
These shifts make it harder for teens to fall asleep early, even when they are tired.
From Science Daily
During Cabinet meetings, press availabilities in the Oval Office and a recent signing ceremony, he looks like he has fallen asleep.
From Salon
“My goal is to not hear the ding at 10,000 feet, because I’m already asleep.”
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.
