oversleep

[ oh-ver-sleep ]

See synonyms for oversleep on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),o·ver·slept, o·ver·sleep·ing.

to sleep beyond the proper or intended time of waking: He overslept and missed his train.

verb (used with object),o·ver·slept, o·ver·sleep·ing.

to sleep beyond (a certain hour): She had overslept her usual time of arising.
to let (oneself) sleep past the hour of arising: Of all mornings to oversleep myself!

Origin of oversleep

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at over-, sleep

Words Nearby oversleep

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oversleep in a sentence

After the shift in start time, students in the delayed-start schools were less likely to oversleep.
Starting schools later leads to less tardiness, fewer ‘zombies’ | Alison Pearce Stevens | October 5, 2021 | Science News For Students
You can freeze these packs ahead for those days when everyone oversleeps and needs to fuel up fast.
Back-to-school recipes, including breakfasts, lunches and snacks, for students of all ages | Kari Sonde | August 25, 2021 | Washington Post
Falling behind in school, he’d often stay up late to study, then oversleep the next day.
“I Finally Got to the Mountaintop and I Failed” | by Bob Fernandez, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Charlotte Keith, Spotlight PA | June 10, 2021 | ProPublica
One, it removes any conscious or subconscious fear that you’ll oversleep.
Take the best naps, with science | John Kennedy | January 19, 2021 | Popular-Science
On the days I went to school, I would oversleep for work and come late.
What I learned from 5 years of cleaning airplanes in the middle of the night | matthewheimer | August 30, 2020 | Fortune

There is always the possibility that they may oversleep themselves and fall into a dormant and inactive state.
Islam Her Moral And Spiritual Value | Arthur Glyn Leonard
Above all, you must not let me oversleep myself, for otherwise I shall be late in arriving at Granada.
Tales from the Lands of Nuts and Grapes | Charles Sellers and Others
Daisy Bell had half a mind to let her oversleep and lose a mark, then she really did love her too well.
Helen Grant's Schooldays | Amanda M. Douglas
I had slept little the previous night, and was afraid that I might oversleep myself in consequence.
Uncle Max | Rosa Nouchette Carey
That worthy individual did not oversleep himself, nor did he suffer the Jew to do so either.
Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland, 7th ed. Vol. 2 of 2 | John Lloyd Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for oversleep

oversleep

/ (ˌəʊvəˈsliːp) /

verb-sleeps, -sleeping or -slept

(intr) to sleep beyond the intended time for getting up

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

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