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

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

He added: "Just the fact that I found it so normal, in a sad way, that it was okay to just put my head on the pillow and fall asleep."

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

In these cases, melatonin can help children fall asleep more quickly, extend total sleep time, and improve overall quality of life for caregivers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026

I put my headphones back on and turn the music loud enough to drown out every other sound, so I can finally fall asleep.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• languish
• relax
• snooze