sleep-in
Americanadjective
noun
verb
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to sleep longer than usual
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to sleep at the place of one's employment
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Sleep at one's place of employment, as in They have a butler and maid who both sleep in . [First half of 1800s]
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Sleep late, either accidentally or deliberately. For example, I slept in and missed my usual train , or On weekends we like to sleep in . [Late 1800s]
Etymology
Origin of sleep-in
First recorded in 1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase sleep in
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.
“He did sleep in his truck, and he was very willing to just rough it,” she recalled.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 12, 2026
Mice naturally sleep in short bursts lasting only a few minutes throughout the day and night.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
He spent the first 10 minutes on an opening statement that sounded like it had been written to put Trump to sleep in a Cabinet meeting before he took questions, providing few answers.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
The pair had shared a meal together on Christmas Eve before they went to sleep in their shared bedroom.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
There were nights trying to sleep in a freezing tent, with 30-mile-per-hour winds ripping at the sides.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
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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.