oversleep
Americanverb (used without object)
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
Cole woke often during the night, afraid he might oversleep.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
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
The rat wins, while the cat oversleeps and misses the whole race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2023
On the metro home, she oversleeps and is stranded at the end of the line.
From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2020
In the first scene of the pilot, one of the four roommates oversleeps for an arraignment.
From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2013
"Fits too damned well to be a coincidence! Anthony Marston dies of asphyxiation or choking last night after dinner, and Mother Rogers oversleeps herself with a vengeance."
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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
If you look, just a little, like a god who overslept, then you don’t have to learn Shoshone or master “My Sharona” or lose weight or gain weight or have panic attacks.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, he said he had accidentally overslept and shared his "joy at finally telling the world the truth".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2023
“I was a little bit late for a meeting. I slept in, overslept, but it can happen,” Rashford said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
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
Another disciplinary measure saw Rashford put on the substitutes' bench for United's Premier League game at Wolves last season after oversleeping and being late for a team meeting.
From BBC ● Feb. 29, 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
Luckily, they were either too kind or too timid to give me a hard time for oversleeping.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
