oversleep
Americanverb (used without object)
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oversleeps,
present (3rd person singular)
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overslept,
past participle, past
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oversleeping
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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oversleepsimple
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oversleepssimple
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have oversleptperfect
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has oversleptperfect
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am oversleepingprogressive
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are oversleepingprogressive
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is oversleepingprogressive
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have been oversleepingperfect progressive
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has been oversleepingperfect progressive
Past
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oversleptsimple
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had oversleptperfect
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was oversleepingprogressive
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were oversleepingprogressive
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had been oversleepingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of oversleep
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at over-, sleep
Explanation
When you oversleep, you stay asleep longer than you meant to. If you forget to set your alarm clock, you're likely to oversleep. People oversleep all the time, and they end up being late to school, work, or appointments. No one ever intends to oversleep. If you intend to keep sleeping, you would refer to it as "sleeping in." The verb oversleep is an old one, dating from the fourteenth century, and it's related to the Old English noun oferslæp, "too much sleep."
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.
See Examples For:
If I happen to oversleep, the music serves as my alarm clock.
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2023
Symptoms include a tendency to overeat, oversleep, lack of energy, and difficulty concentrating on tasks.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The first time I picked him up for an early morning appointment I must have set a dozen alarms, terrified I’d oversleep.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 20, 2021
The average American will also oversleep and be late for work once a week, with one in six saying that number is actually higher.
From Fox News ● Jun. 9, 2019
“Nekwa, Papa-Nnukwu is still asleep. He will be upset that the medicines made him oversleep and he did not wake to watch the sun rise.”
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Say the school maintenance man oversleeps and doesn’t unlock the doors of the polling place in time for set-up.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2024
On the metro home, she oversleeps and is stranded at the end of the line.
From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2020
Behold his greatest stresses: there’s a mouse on his tier, he oversleeps, he’s putting on weight, his neighbors fart all the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2016
In the first scene of the pilot, one of the four roommates oversleeps for an arraignment.
From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2013
“Anyone who oversleeps is a big fat booboo head,” retorted the robot as it glided out.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
But he overslept, missed his 6 a.m. call time, and arrived on the set more than an hour late.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2025
He was dropped for last season's game at Wolves because he overslept and missed a team meeting.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
Turns out she overslept and missed his concert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
One team member had overslept and would play from home.
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2023
We miss breakfast, and when Miss Duncan asks where we were, Katherine sheepishly says we both overslept and got to our chores late.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Having been named in the squad for the Premier League match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 30 August 2008, Keegan pulled Ranger aside after oversleeping.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2024
Quick had a bad habit of oversleeping and being late for minor league bus trips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
Casemiro and Luke Shaw had already netted for United before Rashford added the third on his return to the team after being dropped against Wolverhampton for oversleeping and missing a meeting.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
Take, for instance, someone who keeps oversleeping because they hit the snooze button on their alarm nine times before finally getting up.
From The Verge ● Aug. 4, 2022
"I think I told her she was oversleeping," I said.
From "Miracle's Boys" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
