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Synonyms

nod off

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, adverb) to fall asleep

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

For at least the past several years, lawyers say, he has appeared at times to nod off on the bench.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

He seems to nod off in public meetings, and afterward, his staff denies it happened.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 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

I set a good dinner out, but halfway through Peeta begins to nod off.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.