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

“My sister and I would pull up a couple of chairs together and fall asleep while listening to the music in the Jalapa bar where we all lived together.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

One in particular struck me, telling us that before you go to bed, review all your deeds of the day three times before you fall asleep.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Hot nights can make it harder to fall asleep, increase waking during the night and leave people feeling less rested the next day.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

At first, his pregnant wife was scared he might fall asleep at the wheel.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Bringing a book outside to read, I would fall asleep almost immediately in my chair; when I took the boat out I soon tired of rowing and allowed myself to drift all afternoon.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze