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

"As a mother myself, I couldn't even fall asleep at night and images kept flashing in my memory," she said.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

The fact that we were about to fall asleep in the same city as dozens of celebrities we both adored?

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

I fall asleep in Salmon’s bunk bed, lulled by Dragon Masters 5: Song of the Poison Dragon.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

Mercurial and unreliable in the studio, Stewart would sometimes fall asleep on the couch during recording sessions or lie down in the vocal booth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

“I come here to listen to your cuentos. But I always fall asleep like everyone else.”

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze