nod off

British  

verb

1. informal (intr, adverb) to fall asleep

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nod off Idioms  

1. Fall asleep momentarily, doze, as in Grandma spends a lot of time in her rocking chair, nodding off now and then. This expression alludes to the quick involuntary dropping of one's head from an upright position when drowsy or napping. The verb nod alone was so used from the mid-1500s. Also see drop off, def. 1.

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Example Sentences

During business hours, they were welcome to use the store’s water fountains, its bathrooms, its electricity, to read in the reading nook, or nod off, if need be.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Taking L-theanine does improve people’s perception of the quality of their sleep and how long it takes to nod off, according to a review of research published this year in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

But alongside their love of walking, the two women share a less healthy trait: they struggle to nod off because of their anxiety.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

A snapshot of Edim’s life as an undergraduate at Howard University during this time should make any professor think twice about judging students who nod off in class.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2024

He stretched right out, leaning his head against the cushioned wall of the cab and pretending to nod off, a common avoidance-of-conversation-with-strangers tactic of his, one which left me to entertain Shorty.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• bed down
• doze
• fall asleep
• languish
• relax
• snooze