drowse
Americanverb (used without object)
-
drowses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drowsed,
past participle, past
-
drowsing
present participle
-
to be sleepy or half-asleep.
-
to be dull or sluggish.
verb (used with object)
-
drowses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
drowsed,
past participle, past
-
drowsing
present participle
-
to pass or spend (time) in drowsing (often followed byaway ).
He drowsed away the morning.
-
to make sleepy.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drowsesimple
-
drowsessimple
-
have drowsedperfect
-
has drowsedperfect
-
am drowsingprogressive
-
are drowsingprogressive
-
is drowsingprogressive
-
have been drowsingperfect progressive
-
has been drowsingperfect progressive
Past
-
drowsedsimple
-
had drowsedperfect
-
was drowsingprogressive
-
were drowsingprogressive
-
had been drowsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drowse
before 900; Old English drūsian to droop, become sluggish (not recorded in ME); akin to Old English drēosan to fall
Explanation
To doze lightly, or nearly fall asleep, is to drowse. If you stay up too late watching scary movies, you might start to drowse the next morning in English class. You've probably found yourself beginning to drowse when you're very sleepy or bored. You'll know you're starting to drowse when your eyelids get heavy and your mind wanders. Be careful though—if you drowse too long at the beach, you may end up with a sunburn! Drowse comes from the adjective drowsy, from an Old English root meaning "sink."
Vocabulary lists containing drowse
Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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Charlotte's Web
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Festival of Sleep Day
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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.
See Examples For:
The American cast keeps its English accents tidy but not its performances, and Director Alan Schneider lets the first act drowse.
From Time Magazine Archive
Its 2,000 readers supposed that like almost everything else in their quiet, moss-grown city, the Journal would now drowse off to sleep.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Kearny, N.J., police were inclined to believe Station Attendant Louis Washington's story that he had slept through two burglaries of Red's Trucking Terminal when he fell into a drowse during questioning at police headquarters.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the Japanese Diet, Premier Yoshida will often drowse through the opposition speeches, sometimes bestirring himself to deal with questions: "I will not answer that."
From Time Magazine Archive
“Twitching noase be one neame,” answered the hedgehog obstinately, “and a-twitching of that noase be another, me- aster. Now you move along, kind Measter Brock, and leave a poor crofter to teak ’is winter drowse.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Result: Blithe Spirit is surfeited with dialogue, now & again drowses slightly.
From Time Magazine Archive
Wrinkled as a crone, it drowses and yawns, never really wakes or sleeps soundly, sucks weakly, is capable of a faint squeak, grunt, bleat or wail.
From Time Magazine Archive
Caesar landed where Deal now drowses and William the Conqueror made good his bid at Hastings. just beyond the Sussex line.
From Time Magazine Archive
He drowses at will in Cabinet meetings, always snaps wide awake when the discussion returns to finance.
From Time Magazine Archive
I guess it is no surprise that he drowses during lectures.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
The diary comics of interactions between stick-figure depictions of Wertz and her son, Felix, will resonate with anyone who has ever drowsed through days with a newborn.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Of the 63 subjects who dropped the glass as they drowsed, 26 did so after they had already passed through N1 sleep.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 3, 2022
After staying up all night at the Stork Club, Mr. Roche drowsed off midway through the early-morning interview.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2019
For two days," your report says, "in a do-gooder atmosphere of maiden ladies, ministers, matrons, high-school students and professors, the Peoria convention drowsed.
From Time Magazine Archive
At last wearied with his cares Sam drowsed, leaving the morrow till it came; he could do no more.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
All across the ravaged Earth, the cracked foundations of the twentieth century were drowsing, waking, and recognizing themselves.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2020
Late one night the drowsing pro got a phone call at home.
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 17, 2020
While summer often wakes me at 4am with dawn, in winter I can sleep for hours, surrendering to my bed shortly after 9pm, and drowsing there until my morning alarm.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 9, 2020
Then I was in motion, drowsing on a bus, a grizzled figure seated beside me, Calvin Schiraldi again.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2015
All of this was heady news of a world far removed from hankies and thimbles, patiently delivered to me under a tree amidst the drowsing bees and nodding wildflowers.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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