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.

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Example Sentences

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

From Slate • May 10, 2026

She’d chugged a Red Bull, which she never did, and couldn’t fall asleep.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 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

While in court, he appeared to fall asleep at one point, media reports indicate.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

There I was, reading the texts for the thousandth time, about to fall asleep, when another message came through.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze