siesta

[ see-es-tuh ]

/ siˈɛs tə /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for siesta on Thesaurus.com

noun

a midday or afternoon rest or nap, especially as taken in Spain and Latin America.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of siesta

1645–55; <Spanish <Latin sexta (hōra) the sixth (hour), midday

Words nearby siesta

Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Morena, Sierra Nevada, Sierra Vista, sies, siesta, sieva bean, sieve, sieve cell, sieve of Eratosthenes, Sievers

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

How to use siesta in a sentence

Some cultures, of course, do embrace the afternoon nap, or siesta.
Nap Time for Everyone! (Ep. 468)|Stephen J. Dubner|July 8, 2021|Freakonomics
During the week, most meals are taken at home, including midday lunch, when many businesses shut down, and might be followed by a siesta.
Everything You Need to Know About Costa Rican Food|Nicholas Gill|November 11, 2020|Eater
How can anyone go home for a three-course meal and a siesta in the midst of peak trading?
Discovering The Charms Of La France Profonde|Emma Woolf|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now Egypt is again leading the way to the future after a long siesta under Hosni Mubarak.
The End of Arab Police States?|Bruce Riedel|April 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

When we reached the hotel everybody went in to take a siesta—that "Mittags-Schlaf" which is law in Germany.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
They dined, therefore, in silence, and afterwards he laid himself down as usual on the sofa for a siesta.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
The session lasted until time for the noonday luncheon and siesta , and was resumed in the afternoon.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston
We happened to reach it when the prisoners were having a siesta.
A Journey Through France in War Time|Joseph G. Butler, Jr.
Is there no sombra where we can eat our lunch and take a siesta?
Mexico|Charles Reginald Enock

British Dictionary definitions for siesta

siesta

/ (sɪˈɛstə) /

noun

a rest or nap, usually taken in the early afternoon, as in hot countries

Word Origin for siesta

C17: from Spanish, from Latin sexta hōra the sixth hour, that is, noon

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

siesta

Origin of siesta

Words nearby siesta

Words related to siesta

How to use siesta in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for siesta

Word Origin for siesta