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

See Examples For:

fall asleep

As a result, patients fall asleep without warning during the day, lose muscle control and hallucinate while nearly asleep.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Sleep is closely linked to body temperature: to fall asleep and stay asleep, the body usually needs to lose some heat.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 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

He says you won't fall asleep the second the final whistle blows either because "you're going to get so energised, it'll be difficult to wind down".

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

It’s his fault that she can’t fall asleep, she tells herself.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze